The List Goes On and On
by Truth in the Moon
Summary: Lily and James's last year at Hogwarts and they're Headboy and Headgirl. Lily notices James is a tad different. Her list of surprises just keeps growing. Who knows what will happen? Only one way to find out! LEJP, SBOC, RLOC
1. Surprises Around Every Corner

A/N: Very first fic. Sorry if it is really bad. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything related in any way to the amazing JKR's work.

Ch 1. Surprises Around Every Corner

"I am pleased to announce this year's Head Boy and Girl are James Potter and Lily Evans," Dumbldore's voice rang throughout the Great Hall. Applause erupted all around, well almost all around. The Slytherin table was, as expected, quiet except for the boos and hisses. "Good night, everyone."

Lily looked around to see the 1st years were looking nervous. Lily remembered when she was that young. She was, however, shaken from her thoughts by, none other than, James Potter.

"Li-Evans, McGonagall wants us. She is going to show us the Heads' dorms," James said. "She's waiting by the door."

Lily noticed he had almost said her first name, something he hadn't done since 4th year. Surprise #1: he seemed really serious when he said it. She realized something else as well. She was amazed she never realized before. Surprise #2: he hadn't asked her out once. Last year he would have already asked her out at least 6 times.

'Shit, they must be waiting for me.' She found them waiting for her by the door. "Nice of you to join us Miss Evans," said Professor McGonagall.

"Sorry, Professor," said Lily and she lowered he eyes to the floor. Normally, Potter would have said something that would have earned him a disapproving glance from McGonagall. Surprise #3: He didn't say a word.

Lily was really confused by James actions. This was not the boy she used to know and loathe with all her being. She noticed they were there when she ran right into Potter. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"You two need to come up with a new password before you enter. It must have a color in it. Good night," said McGonagall.

"So, James, I suppose we have to think of a new password." 'Damn it, I said his first name. Mental note: don't _EVER_ do that again.'

Lily turned to find James in front of the portrait. He turned to look at her, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. She knew what he was going to do. "James Potter, don't you dare," said Lily her infamous anger creeping up.

"Emerald Eyes," said James confidently. The portrait swung open. That was the James Potter she knew.

"James Potter, you are seriously going to regret this," Lily half said, half shouted at him, her anger growing even more.

He turned to look at her and said, "Really? Because I doubt that oh so very much, Lil." He turned and sauntered into the room. Lily stood there, fuming. Surprise #4: He had never turned his back on her before. Usually he would have kept pestering her until she really blew up at him. She stood there with her mouth wide open. Unfortunately, his reaction inside made her run in after him. Her response was the same as his.

"Oh my," she whispered. "It's PERFECT!" screamed Lily. A roaring fire was going in the fireplace that was in the corner of the room. Opposite that was the biggest bookshelf Lily had ever seen, (except in the Library, of course.) The stairs to the bedrooms were next to that. They both tore up the stairs to see them.

They went to look at Lily's room first. It was expertly designed for Lily. The walls were painted a soft, velvety cream color. Her bed, a canopy bed, had the same cream color on it along with a green that matched her eyes perfectly, a warm emerald color that matched the carpet that was covering the floor of her room. A bookshelf spanned one wall of her room and was filled with her favorite books, muggle and magical.

James room was basically the same except for emerald and cream, the colors were a dark stormy blue and a deep scarlet color, a tad darker than the Gryffindor colors. There was also a bookshelf, not quite as big as Lily's and filled with Quidditch books.

Much to Lily's displeasure, she realized they would have to share a bathroom. Lily preferred her privacy and sharing a bathroom with a guy was not what she had in mind. She couldn't believe Dumbledore would let this be, but she had no choice.

"Wow," said James, standing next to her. "The rooms look amazing. How did they pick our favorite colors?"

"Well, I suppose they- wait, how did you know that emerald and cream were my favorite colors? Did you used to _stalk_ me?!" said Lily, looking at James in disbelief.

"No," James said calmly. Normally, he would have started jumping around babbling that he didn't. Surprise #5: He was calm. He didn't freak out. "I just figured that since this blue and this scarlet are my favorite colors, cream and emerald were yours, that's all."

"Oh, ok," said Lily, a blush creeping up onto her cheeks. She tried to hide so James wouldn't see. She looked up him and he smiled down at her. It wasn't that crooked grin that he smiled when he did something he shouldn't have. It was a genuine smile that Lily couldn't help but return. That only made her blush even more.

What was it? Something about him had changed and it wasn't that he now had to be over six feet tall. Her mental note of surprises didn't help. She knew he had changed somehow. Was it a ploy to get her to fall in love with him or was a truthful change and that he was really trying to show her something. Was he even changing for her? As these 'was' words weren't helping either. 'I guess I'll have to see how this plays out.' He had walked out while she was thinking and she walked out, still thinking about James. She didn't know her life was going to make a big turnaround.

A/N: Well, I really want to know how I'm doing. This is my first try so I don't care if you tell me if it sucks. I can guarantee that if you tell me it's decent, I'll be ecstatic. Please read 'n review.

-Truth in the Moon


	2. This Has to be a Dream, Right?

A/N: To my 2 reviewers, thank you, thank you, thank you! You have raised my self-esteem about writing. I hope you and anyone else likes this chappie!

Disclaimer: Yet again, I cannot come up with anything like this. This is JKR's work only plot, storyline, and unrecognized characters are mine.

Ch 2. This has to be a Dream, Right?

Lily woke up in her room. She was a little freaked out. She was used to having her friends in the same room with her when she woke up. She looked at her watch. It said it was 1:37 in the morning. Lily couldn't sleep anymore so she took the comforter off her bed and walked down the stairs. She went over to the bookshelf and grabbed one off the shelves. It looked interesting so she walked over to one of the big, poofy armchairs and sat down.

She was getting really into the book when a noise behind her made her look up. James had come down the stairs. He looked up and saw her sitting in the room He wasn't expecting anyone to be down here.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be down here," said James. "I'll go and leave you be. 'Night."

"It's alright," said Lily, gesturing to the seat next to her. "You can stay if you like. I don't care."

He walked over and sat in the chair she was pointing at. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and curled up in it.

"Why did you come down?" he asked her.

"Well, I woke up and I felt weird because none of my friends were with me like I'm used to. It felt empty in my room. How about you? Why are you here?"

"Pretty much the same as you, really. I'm used to waking up with Sirius's voice ringing in my ears and it felt different. Lonely, actually," he answered. "What time is it anyway?"

"Ummm…it's almost 2 o'clock in the morning," said Lily

"Uhhh," groaned James as he stretched his arms up causing the blanket to slip down revealing a bare-chested James. He was tan and had very toned muscles running down his arms and chest. Lily couldn't help but stare at him. 'Grrr, why am always staring at him. It isn't like I like him. I mean, he does look good and he's really tall and-'

'NO! Bad Lily! Don't you think things like that. You're succumbing to the Potter charm. You're letting it get-'

'Quiet you. She likes him what is wrong with that? I mean, come on. If a guy that looked like that liked you, you'd be doing something constructive about it.'

'So? She's going against what she's believed since 1st year, HATING JAMES POTTER! You really want to make her forget that?!'

'Yup, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. Just don't forget everything. She needs to stay on her guard so he doesn't trick her like we know he can do.'

"Ahh! Shut up! You're giving me a headache!" yelled Lily. "Stop talking to me! I don't care!"

"Um, Lil, I didn't say anything to you," said James, looking at her as if she was crazy, (which he probably thought she was.)

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said hastily. "My conscience decided we needed to have a talk right here and now."

"Oh," he said. Surprise #6: He didn't laugh at her. He always used to laugh at her when she would do or say something stupid but he didn't. 'Okay. When he hits 10 on my list, I have to start worrying.'

"Well, I think I'll head back up to my room. Good night James," said Lily.

"Wait, Lily. I'm coming. I'm going back to bed too. I'll walk with you."

They climbed the stairs and departed at their respected rooms with a good night each. Lily climbed back in bed and found that she couldn't sleep. She was still thinking about James. The voices in her head were threatening to come back for a rebuttal but she pushed them to the back of her mind. She still couldn't figure out what James, 'It's Potter you idiot! Not James!' the voice butted in, what his plan was. Whatever it was, it was beginning to work

"Okay, tomorrow I will talk to Aly, Sam, and Emmy about it. Hopefully they'll help me and not make me face their torture of the constant, 'I told you so, I told you so!' That is the last thing I want."

Lily still could not fall asleep. Then she got an idea. An awful idea.

A/N: Well, I wrote chapter 2. Not exactly what I was going for because of my brain wave while I was writing but hopefully you like it! Please R&R!

-Truth in the Moon


	3. Confronting Him

A/N: Yet again, thank you to my reviewers. I am now up to a grand total of **FOUR** reviews. Yay me! (clap,clap,clap,clap) Thank you to bubblicious-242, AnIrishLily, Super Smexy Snuffles, and aussiechick249 for being my reviewers. I am so happy you think I'm doing ok! (Bowing) I hope you like this chappie! Now, without further ado, Ch. 3!

Disclaimer: The day I own Harry Potter is the day I move to Czechoslovakia. (I hope I don't have to.)

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Ch. 3. Confronting Him

Ok, so it wasn't an awful idea. It was just a way to help her get some sleep and put her mind to rest. She was going to walk through the bathroom, sneak into James's room, and take a peek at him sleeping to convince herself that she doesn't, I repeat DOESN'T, like him.

"I'm just doing this so I can put him from my mind and don't have to think about him anymore," she whispered as she made her way to the bathroom. "Not that I think about anyways." 'God, what am I doing! I don't like him. Why do these stupid little thoughts keep coming?! I thought I shut you up?'

'You did but, like you, we can't stay quiet for long. Mwahahahahahahahaha!'

Lily quietly opened the door, not expecting what was behind it.

"James!" Lily almost screamed at the sight of him. "What are you doing in here? I thought you were asleep?"

"As I was trying to fall asleep, I realized I didn't brush my teeth, which is quite disgusting."

Lily looked down and saw he was holding a toothbrush in his hand. That wasn't what drew her attention though. He was still not wearing a shirt and they were closer than they had been earlier. She noticed he had several scars along his chest. Another surprise, but this one would have to wait for an answer. They couldn't possibly from Quidditch and, well of course, the Slytherins could do something like that to him but even they wouldn't do something like that to him. James and the other Marauders could get revenge on them, easily. I mean, come on, they're the Marauders for goodness sake!

James noticed that she was staring at his chest and took the opportunity to move a bit closer to her. He couldn't help but smile when she looked up at him and gasped how much he had closed the gap between them. Surprise #7: he backed away from her.

'Okay, there is no possible way this…thing, is James Potter. There's just no way it's possible.'

"All right! Who are you and what have you done with James Potter. The REAL James Potter!" demanded Lily. She saw James's wand lying on the counter. She reached around him and grabbed it and pointed at him. He didn't flinch like he normally would if she had threatened him. Welcome Surprise #8.

"Lily, what is the matter with you? You have been acting strange all day. Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" he asked coming closer.

"No! I am perfectly fine!" she yelled at him jabbing the wand at him, making him backup slightly. "You are the one who should be looked at! You are not the James Potter who acts arrogant, asks me out every single second of every single minute, you say something that makes you sound like smart-arse when I make a mistake, never turns his back on me, …do I really need to continue?"

"Actually, tell me I have been doing that makes you question who I am. I am very interested about what is scaring you." Lily could see the laughter in his eyes as he spoke.

"Ok then. You don't freak out when I blow-up at you, you don't laugh at me, you back away when you're in close proximity to me, you don't back away from me when I point a wand at you…, I am just so confused. Who are you?"

"Lily, just because I act a little a different doesn't mean I'm not the same person I always was," said James, a hint of a smile forming around his lips. "You know there is a simple reason why I am acting this way. Did it ever occur to you that I could have changed?" he chuckled. "Good night, Lils. Sweet dreams."

He turned and walked out, still chuckling, leaving a bewildered Lily standing in the bathroom. She was about to walk out when James walked back in.

"Hey Lily, can I have my wand back?" She was vaguely aware that she was still holding James's wand in front of her. She held it out and he took it from her. He bent over and kissed her on the cheek, grabbed his wand, and walked out, desperately trying to contain his excitement. He closed the door, leaving Lily even more confused than ever before. She was shaken back to reality by the noise coming from the other side of the door. She realized what he was shouting and remembered that he had kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and walked out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

James's Room

"YES, YES, YES!" James ran and started jumping up down on his bed. "YES! I KISSED LILY EVANS! Ok, so maybe it was only on the cheek but still, I kissed her and she didn't curse me into oblivion! YES, YES, YES, Owww!"

James had jumped a little too high and hit his head on the ceiling.

"The guys won't believe me when I tell them."

'NO! You can't tell them. It will ruin everything we worked on over the summer. No acting cocky and arrogant; no cursing Snivellus, (No. It is Snape, not Snivellus), no matter how much he deserves it; no-'

"Alright, alright, I get it. Now I know how Lily felt. Maybe now I can get to sleep. You know that will only work if you shut up, however."

He got down and crawled into bed. James drifted off into a peaceful sleep, after he managed to get the voices in his head to quiet themselves, with the face of a beautiful redhead firmly fixed into his mind.

A/N: Yay me! I finally wrote chapter 3. I am sooo proud of myself. I really hope you enjoyed it. You know the drill, R&R! Pretty please, with a cherry on top?


	4. Keeping a Secret

A/N: Yay! 11 reviews! I think I died when I saw that. I was so happie. You all who reviewed are great! Bubblicious-242, AnIrishLily, Super Smexy Snuffles, aussiechick249, RandomObsessivePhyscoFangirl, mariginiagio, LadyPeaceGoldenHeart, you all so totally ROCK! I hope you like this chapter. Ch.3 was my favorite so far and I hope this one is good too!

Disclaimer: Still haven't moved to Czechoslovakia yet so I don't own Harry Potter. (Pouting) Wish I did. (Laughs) Never going to happen.

Ch 4. Keeping a Secret

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James got up the next morning, extremely tired. The early morning came back to him. Waking up… going down the stairs… finding Lily sitting on the couch, reading… what happened after that was a blur, until…

"Oh my God! Yes! I kissed Lily Evans! I kissed-"

James, in his exuberant excitement rolled over too far and fell right off his bed and onto the floor. It was made worse when he tried to pick himself up and he hit his head on the bedside table. It renewed another pain. Apparently, he hit his head on the way down and the new hit renewed the pain in his head. Fortunately, for him, the morning got better when Lily came into his room, a look of concern on her face. She saw him on the ground and walked over to help him up.

"Are you ok?" she asked when she finally managed to get him off the floor. "I heard a loud thump, you yelling, and another loud thump, so I figured something happened."

James was still in shock that Lily was in his room. Lily Evans, in his room, of her own accord. He didn't trick her or anything. "Oh, yeah," he said coming out of his trance. "I, sort of, fell," he said bluntly.

"Well, I must say, when it comes to acrobatic stunts, you really suck at the landing," Lily said. She laughed at him. A blush started creeping up his cheeks. He tried, forcefully, to keep it back. He was James Potter. James Potter doesn't blush at anything. "Hey, James. Hello? Are still with us?"

He became aware that she was waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention. "James, are you sure you're okay? Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" She was firing question at him as if she really cared if he was okay. "Here. Let me look at your head. You're not responding to me. You may have a concussion."

She grabbed his and pulled him near the bed. She stood up on it and parted his hair to look at his skull. She was running her fingers through his hair, looking for injuries.

"Ouch!" He said and grabbed his head. He backed away, causing Lily to fall over backward onto his bed. It seems she was using him to balance so she could look at him. She landed with a loud 'Oof,' on his bed. James heard her and he turned around to look at her. He walked over to her and asked if she was okay. "Well, if you're okay, but why did you do that to my head? That really hurt!"

"Well, excuse me! I was only trying to help. I was checking to see if you were hurt in any way. Fine, I won't help you next time! I was only trying to help a friend."

"Wait, friends?" he asked her. She had already reached the bathroom door and was about to pull it open when he asked her.

She turned to face him. "I thought we were. Are we not?" She looked at him, waiting for an answer.

He looked back at her. "I thought you hated me. That's why I didn't know."

"Well, like you said. Did it ever occur to you that I could have changed?" she said, and with that she turned on her heel and walked out.

"Damn it!" said James, picking up a book off the shelf and throwing it at the wall. "I finally had a chance with Lily and I blow it!"

'Shut up and cool down! If you keep this up, she'll never like you.' The little voice from the other night returned.

"Why can't these stupid voices stay away." James grumbled, digging through his closet and pulling on his robes.

'Get down to the common room and wait for her. When she gets there, apologize to her for acting like a complete arse and walk her to the Great Hall. It'll show you are trying to act like a gentleman.'

James contemplated this thought and decided he would try it. He got ready as fast as he could and walked down and sat on the couch to wait for her. He didn't have to wait long. About five minutes later, Lily came down the stairs. She saw James sitting there and walked over to him. He looked up and saw he standing over him. He tried to hide what he was doing. He slid it underneath the pillow, hoping she didn't see what he was doing.

"Oh, hey Lils," he said nervously, running a hand through his hair. He saw her roll her eyes at him. He immediately took his hand out of his hair. He forgot that it annoyed her. She took notice of this and smiled on the inside. "Um, I was wondering if I could walk you the Great Hall?"

She looked up and smiled at him. He smiled back at her. "Of course you can walk me to breakfast." They turned and headed toward the door.

They were on the stairs when she stopped. He turned to look at her. "Oh, I left something up in my room. I have to go get it."

She turned to go when James spoke. "Hey, do you want me to go with you?"

"No," she said, as she walked back to the common room. "I'll be right back, if you want to wait here." She walked back into the common room. She walked over to the couch where James was waiting for her earlier. She picked up the pillow and smiled. He had been reading the book she was reading when they were awake earlier that morning. She had left it on the couch and he saw it. She looked at it saw that he had gotten quite far in it. She turned and left, slipping the book into her bag. She hurried down the stairs to meet James. They were at the third floor when James spoke up. Lily had completely forgot about her list of surprises until James did something he never did before. Apologizing took spot #9 on her list. He stopped her and turned her to face him.

"Hey, Lily, I'm sorry for getting angry at you. I wasn't thinking and when you hit that spot on my head, I got angry because it hurt so bad. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." He finished. Lily stared at him. He never apologized to her. Hell, he never apologized to ANYONE for that matter. Lily couldn't help but smile at him. He returned it gratefully.

"I forgive you, James," she said and the tension lifted and they talked all the way to the Great Hall. James was surprised when Lily brought up the topic of Quidditch. Lily actually knew what she was talking about. She even had a favorite team, the same team as James, Puddlemere United. They kept the conversation going, even when they got to the Great Hall. They were so preoccupied that they didn't see the strange looks and hushed voices. They even surprised their friends when they sat down next to each other. The Marauders and Lily's friends were speechless when they sat together. What really confused everyone was that they were getting along.

Remus was the first to recover form the shock of seeing the two of them together. "Uh, James, Lily, you do know you're sitting next to each other, right?"

"Yes," they said together. At that instant, five wands shot up and were being pointed at them.

"Who are you two because the James and Lily we know absolutely hate each other with a passion," said Aly, pointing her wand directly at James's heart.

"Aly, calm down. It's me, Lily. James and I came up with an agreement to act civil towards one another this year. We've become friends. Put your wands down! You're attracting attention," said Lily, pushing the wands away. This seemed to convince everyone else and they put their wands away. The only person who hadn't put up their wand was Peter. He was too engrossed in his food to care.

Lily started to talk with her friends about what happened over the summer. Lily had missed them so much over the summer. Petunia had been a real bitch over the summer, and it was worse because she constantly had her whale of a fiancé over at their house. He was sooo annoying. He kept calling her a bunch of other flower names, like Daisy, Rose, and countless others.

Lily's friends didn't have much to say either. Lily and her friends were so different but they clicked so well together that you could have sworn they had been separated at birth. (At times, Lily wished that were true so she wouldn't have Petunia as a sister.) If you looked at them and knew them, they shared similarities with the Marauders.

Lily was like James. She was the leader and everyone knew her. Almost every guy in the school wanted her. She and James were both hardworking, loyal, and strived at everything they did.

Sam, her real name is Samantha, was most like Sirius. She was easily the prettiest girl in the school. She had long black hair with light waves and hazel-blue eyes. She had the figure every girl at the school wish they had. Every guy wanted her and about half of them had already had her.

Emma was very similar to Remus. She was also very pretty but she would rather spend more time with a good book than with a guy. She had dirty blond hair that cascaded down her back in deep curls and bright blue eyes.

Aly, real name, Alice, was not really like Peter but she made the fourth person. She had shoulder length brown hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. She already had a boyfriend, Frank Longbottom and they were very rarely seen apart.

Lily was listening to their conversation but she wasn't really paying attention. Her thoughts kept wandering back to James, how well they had connected, how easy it was to talk to him. She was also debating whether or not to tell them about what happened but decided against her. James was having the same dilemma; only he was having a little more trouble holding the secret. He wanted to tell them; after all, they told each other everything. But, he and Lily were finally getting along and he didn't want to jeopardize everything he had worked so hard for.

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A/N: Well, this is the longest thing I have ever written. We had a snow day today so I decided to use my time constructively. I really like this chappie and hope you do too. I hope you leave a review. Any ideas are welcome and R&R! Please, with **whipped cream** and cherry on top?

-Truth in the Moon


	5. When the Juice Starts Flying

Hi! I'm back! I have had sooo many projects to work on. I swear my Geography teacher hates us. I now have to complete 11 maps, 6 of them by Valentine's Day. Uhh. Can't you say, "Don't want to?"

I am starting a new way of thanking wonderful reviewers:

Artemis' Hunt: I always wanted to put Alice in the story so I did! Yay me!

Super Smexy Snuffles: I hate the little voices that get in my head and refuse to leave. And I HATE the Chudley Cannons. (You can thank Ron Weasley for that. He picks the one team that goes horribly with him. Boy has no sense of color coordination.)

AnIrishLily: Thank you sooo much!

RandomObsessivePsychoFangirl, mariginiagio, LadyPeaceGoldenHeart, bubblicious-242, and anyone else who has read but not reviewed, (hint, hint, wink, wink): I noticed that there were few reviews for chapter 4. But maybe we'll see one this time around?

Disclaimer: I DID IT! I passed my Spanish test, but I don't own Harry Potter. Did you think I did? HAHA! Wow, if you thought that you are gullible! (Meant in the nicest possible way. :D )

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Ch. 5. When the Juice Starts Flying

Lily was so grateful that September 1st had landed on a Friday, which meant they didn't have classes until Monday. Two more days of no school but better food than she normally would have had at home. With Petunia's wedding coming up, she declared and persuaded, (in Petunia language that means forced), the entire family to go on a diet. Lily had lost 4 pounds over the summer. She had sorely missed those 4 pounds. Those only made her hate her sister even more. Petunia had only gotten started.

After her mother had talked to Petunia, trying to make her pick Lily to be her maid of honor, 'Please, Petunia. She's your sister and it would mean so much to her,' were the words used to help Petunia, "see the light" of picking Lily. Lily could have sworn her mother say that 'there was no way on Earth that she was going to pick her, but it was worth a try' after she left the room. Petunia had chosen her close friend, Mira, to be her maid of honor. Lily really didn't care. She wasn't off the hook yet.

Petunia was forced to, at least, make Lily a bridesmaid. Petunia made the best of the situation. She had decided that she wanted the dresses to be all different colors. She gave Lily the one that she knew she would absolutely atrocious in. It was pink/orange or, if you prefer or are Petunia, it was the ugliest color of salmon ever created. It was covered in frilly lace with ruffles that cascaded down the length of the dress to the floor. Knowing Petunia, the worst was far from over.

She had also told Lily she had to find a date for the wedding. Well, she said she _could_ bring someone, but Lily knew she had to bring someone or else her sister and her friends would never let her live it down. They were going to have the wedding during Lily's Christmas break so that gave her time to find a date that would be presentable.

"Lily, are you there?" She was jerked from her thoughts by Aly. She was waving her hand in front of her face to get her attention.

Lily shooed her hand away from her face. "I'm here. What do you want?"

"McGonagall coming down the table handing out schedules." said Emma. She had her favorite book of all time, _Mary Poppins_, propped against the jug of pumpkin juice. She didn't even look up.

"Doesn't she usually do that until the day we start classes," said Sam.

"She wanted to do it today so people can find their classes, especially the first years. It will be easier for the older students to help them on the weekends."

Everyone looked, not at Lily, but at James. He looked up from his food, his mouth stuffed full of pancake and his fork hanging from his hand. "What?" he said, looking at the people staring at him. He swallowed with difficulty. "She told me to help first years find their classes because she was giving out the schedules."

He looked at Lily and smiled. He hastily stuffed more pancake into his mouth, dripping syrup all over the place in his hurry. Every time he looked at Lily, he was reminded of the secret he was desperately trying to hide. He was using the food to keep himself from speaking about it. Lily giggled at him. He had syrup running down his chin and somehow managed to get some on his nose. She pointed at it and he swallowed his food. He then attempted to lick it off with his tongue. He looked like a dog that got peanut butter on the roof of its mouth. He accepted defeat after 2 minutes of struggling and went back to his food. Everyone was still laughing from his failed attempts to get it off.

Lily had just set her glass down when she felt a small hand on her shoulder. She turned to see a small group of Gryffindor first years looking at her. They were holding their schedules in their hands. "Miss Evans, we were wondering if you could help us find our classes," said the little boy, "if you're not busy," he added quickly.

Before she could answer, James stood up. "Of course we'll help you, won't we Lils?" he said looking down at her.

"Yeah, yeah sure we will." James held out his hand to help her up. Well, there just went numbers 10 _and _11 on the list. Knocking out two in one shot. He was getting good at that now. He was being courteous in helping her up and, instead of ignoring first and playing pranks on them, he was going to help them.

She took his hand and he pulled her up. Sirius, who was drinking his orange juice, sprayed it all over Remus when Lily took James's offered hand. The first years started giggling at this and James and Lily couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Padfoot! That was disgusting!" Remus stood up, dripping juice. Sirius was playing the innocent card.

"It's not my fault, Moony," said Sirius, putting on the puppy-dog eyes, (no pun intended.) "It's Prong's and Lilyflower's fault. She took Prong's hand." Remus looked angry but it died when Sirius said the last part.

James knew it wasn't over yet. Remus made to sit down, but James saw the glint in his eye. He also saw that Remus had magically removed the lid from the orange juice container. Sirius had put his head back down. Big mistake. Remus jumped up, grabbed the orange juice container, and emptied the contents on an unsuspecting Sirius. Sirius gave a bark-like yell and jumped from the table. The first years behind James and Lily were laughing. Members from the other houses were laughing too. James, Lily, Remus, Aly, Emma, and Sam were laughing the hardest. Even Professor Dumbledore had a grin on his face and he was shaking with silent laughter.

Professor McGonagall walked toward them. "Mr. Lupin, I would have expected better from you," she said and turned and walked back to the teacher's table.

James and Lily turned their attention back to the first years. "Okay, let's go troops," said James leading the first years out of the Great Hall with Lily walking and laughing next to him.

* * *

A/N: I know it's not as long as my last chapter but I didn't know where to go from here. I need opinions. Should I continue the story past Hogwarts, to their deaths or stop sooner. I also want to make a Deatheater/ Voldemort attack later on like in Hogmeade, maybe?

And for all you silent readers and my lovely reviewers, do you see the little box in the lower left-hand corner of the screen? It should say 'submit review'. Do you see the little button that says 'Go'? Go ahead, click on it and leave a review. You know you want to. Tell me how I'm doing. Hugs all around:D

- Truth in the Moon


	6. Secrets Forgotten, The Pain After Death

A/N: I am so sick of snow days. At the rate we're going, we'll get out of school and start summer school the next day. I hope the govenator gets the pardon to pass so we have fewer days to make up. This has absolutely nothing to do with the story; I just need to rant for a minute. There is one good thing though; I get a chance to write!

LadyPeaceGoldenHeart: I know I am very repetitive. I'm trying to stop. I do it in school as well. Don't worry about being too critical. I am very peppy so you can't burst my bubble very easily.

AnIrishLily: Thanks for the suggestion. I think I will go to their deaths. I am also going to try to make the chappies longer if I can.

Horupeensk: I'm really glad you like it. I have been thinking and I might do the Death Eater bit. Thanks for your opinion!

Believeinmagic14: Everybody deserves a bad side, even Remus!

Hermy permy: I love things that are cute, especially my kitty. I'm glad you like it,

Artemis' Hunt: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mffm: Thank you sooo much! I take the 'good writer' compliment to heart. My own friends don't even say that to me very often. I hope this is as good as the other chapters.

Twillight8ec: I sooo happy this is one of your faves. I like writing about them at school. Thank you lots!

Last but most certainly not least…

RandomObsessivePsychoFangirl: You are right. It is about time for Sirius to get a taste of his own medicine, and not the good tasting bubblegum flavored kind. I'm talking about the nasty stuff. MWAHAHAHAHA!

Disclaimer: Me no own HP, so you no sue me! Okaly-dokaly?

Another A/N: I am going to throw a few not-so-funny chapters in here to keep the flow of the original concept created by JK Rowling. Also, Italics means one voice in the head, bold is the other voice.

* * *

Ch. 6. All Secrets Forgotten, The Pain After Death 

The day had been wonderful. Not having to go to classes, walking around the castle, talking with James…Whoa no! Did NOT just think that. Lily berated herself, again, mentally for the, it seemed like, millionth time. She was in the Head's common room, in front of the fire. She groaned for the most annoying thing on the face of the Earth had come back. No, not James Potter, the voices.

_Will you stop denying you like him and accept the fact you have feelings for the boy? After all, he likes you, you like him… what's the big deal?_

**I do NOT like him. I don't care how cute, or fine, of handsome, or muscular…**

_I told you sooo! That proves it! _

**That means absolutely nothing. Those are things anyone could see! Yes, but you thought them, not some one else! You like James, you like James, you li-**

"NO I DON'T!" screamed Lily. Lucky for her James chose to walk in right at that moment. He stopped and looked at her.

"Um…do you want me to leave and come back later?" he asked, he face turning a slight shade of pink from the laughter he was trying to hold.

"Oh, shut up you," she said and she grabbed the book off the table. James saw it was the one he was reading while he had been waiting for her that morning. He dropped his gaze and turned towards his bedroom door. He just remembered why he came here. He turned back around.

"Hey Lily," He said as he walked over to her and leaned on the back of the couch. He bent over and turned his head to look at her. He leaned over just enough so she could see down the front of this shirt. She couldn't help it and looked down. She saw all his muscles. She felt herself go light-headed. "The girls are looking for you. They were planning to go up to the boys' dorm and…have fun. I told them that you probably wouldn't want to go considering the guys' idea of fun is drinking until they pass out."

Lily was surprised by what she heard. He made her seem like she couldn't have fun. Well, she was going to prove him wrong. She stood up and headed towards the door. "Of course I'm going, aren't you," she said as she turned around. "Unless," she added, "you're afraid I'm going to drink more than you." That was the icing on the cake. James Michael Potter never turned down a challenge.

"Absolutely," he said and he walked over to her. He linked arms with her and they walked out and over to the Gryffindor dorms.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

They were all waiting in the 7th year boys' dorm, waiting for Sirius to get back from, well, wherever he went. He returned twenty minutes later with pockets loaded down he pulled out tons of little bottles of Firewhiskey and changed them back to their normal size. James started throwing them to people. He wasn't paying attention and threw one really hard to Lily. He called her name. She didn't look up from her conversation with Sam but caught the bottle with ease. Everyone stared at her. She took the lid off and was about to take a drink when she noticed everyone's stares on her.

"What?" she said and she took a drink. James was looking with awe.

"How come you don't play Quidditch?!" He half asked, half demanded. He had never seen Lily do something like that before. She would have made a great Chaser if she would just try out.

She shrugged and took another drink. "I don't know. I just never thought of myself as a Quidditch player."

Remus, Sirius, and Sam looked at her. They were on the Gryffindor team. Sirius was a Beater and Remus and Sam were Chasers. Remus spoke up. "Lily, we could really use someone like you on the team. There's an open Chaser position on the team. You should try out." Everyone nodded his or her head in agreement.

"Can we just play the game now," said Lily, trying to change the conversation. This seemed to shake all of them out of their stupor. They gathered in a circle on the floor. They hit a problem. They couldn't think of a game. Lily thought of one that she had played before. "I know. Let's play, 'Never Have I Ever'."

Everyone shot their head up and smiled. They all knew that game. It happened to be Sirius and Sam's favorite drinking game.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

An hour after the game got under way, there was a different atmosphere. Easily, Sirius and Sam were clearly wasted. The rest were still fairly sober. It was Lily's turn.

"Okay, um… Never Have I Ever kissed thirty people." She looked around Sirius and Sam were drinking and slopping Firewhiskey down their front, James was trying to hide while he took a drink, and Remus was suspiciously holding his arm down as if to prevent himself from taking a drink. James had put a spell on the bottles to make everyone drink if they had done that. Lily saw this and made a noise that drew every body's attention. She pointed to Remus. They all looked and saw the battle he was fighting.

"Moony, Moony, Moony," said James shaking his head in mock disappointment. "We thought you were better than that. Give it up already. We know you have kissed at least thirty people so just take a drink."

Remus removed his hand and took a long drink, turning profusely red. He decided they call it quits. Everyone else agreed. Sirius and Sam had already passed out so they left them there on the floor.

James and Lily walked back to their rooms. They stumbled in and flopped down beside each other on the couch. She rested her head on his shoulder and they downed the rest of their drinks. They heard a tapping on the window. James was thinking about the secret he and Lily shared when he looked up and saw it. Lily saw it too. He got up and opened the window. An owl soared in to the room and deposited a letter on the table and flew back out. He heard Lily gasp behind him. She picked up the letter and ran towards him. She flung her arms around his neck. He glimpsed the letter before curls of red hair obscured his vision. She was crying into his shoulder. He could feel her tears leaking through his jacket. The letter was a black Ministry letter. He expected her to be upset but he wasn't expecting to her to say the words that came out of her mouth.

"Oh James, I'm so sorry."

He let go of her and took the letter. He opened it while Lily sat next to him. He was shaking so much, it was difficult to open. He managed and pulled out the letter. It read,

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are very sorry to inform you that your parents Gregory and Katherine Potter were discovered at your home. We believe they were killed using the Avada Kedavra Curse. The Dark Mark was spotted hovering over the place of residence. We offer our sincerest condolences to you and the rest of your family.

After that were signatures of the officials at the Ministry. It slid form his grasp and floated to the floor. James was sitting there, stunned. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. He was the last one in the Potter family. His mother and father were Aurors. That must have been why they were killed. Less than 48 hours ago he was saying good-bye to his parents on Platform 9 and ¾. He realized he would never see their smiling faces as he hopped off the Hogwarts Express. They wouldn't be at his wedding when that time came. He wouldn't see them again. He was vaguely aware that Lily was still sitting next to him.

"James…" she said but stopped. She didn't know what to say to him. What could you say to someone who just found out their parents were dead.

James turned to look at Lily. She looked in his eyes and saw pain and sadness. The broken spirit of the boy who was always tormenting her, never left her alone. He had always been strong for others. That boy was gone now. He had a glazed look in his eyes and he collapsed on her shoulder. He was sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't stand to watch him cry. She silently let the tears flow but she would not let James see. She had to be strong for him. He said something but it was muffled by her hoodie.

He picked up his head and said just loud enough for her to hear.

"Thank you Lily. This means the world to me." He put his head back and continued to cry. She couldn't take it and sobbed with him as well.

* * *

A/N: So, I know this wasn't a very happy chappie, but I figured it was important to help Lily and James get together. For you 8 people who reviewed,YAY! for the other 77 who read but didn't review, can we please see some reviews this time. Huggies all around:D 


	7. Surrogate Brothers Stick Together

A/N: Hey everyone. I know the last chapter was sad but I needed to put it in there to make their relationship grow. I don't know if I wrote it very well so I was taking a shot in the dark.

RubyBinds: Thank you! No, there is still more to the story. Hope you like it!

Horupeensk: Yeah, I know. It was also kinda essential to the story. Lily needs to have fun. Everyone needs to have fun.

Marauders rox: Thank you sooo much!

SuGaRLiLy: I really like your story and I'm glad you like mine. Thank you!

Twilight8ec: I'm not like those people who try to make sad moments into stupid moments. That makes me not very happy. I can't really believe you were speechless. I am not that good, sheesh, but I am sooo glad you like it. I'm not trying to be modest but I've never had anyone say that to me before. It's new to me! Thank you!

RandomObssessivePsychoFangirl: I know, I want James to sound hot! That's how I always pictured him. Not all men can hold in those kinds of feelings. It's a natural emotion and I wanted to bring that into my story. Like I said last time, Even Remus has a bad side.

Artemis' Hunt: I have horrible punctuation skills. I never saw that when I read through it. I am trying, really trying, to make them longer. I'm glad you like it.

A/N: I wonder if anyone caught that I put 'sock' instead of 'sick'. I just caught that myself. Well, this starts off sad but should get happier soon. Promise!

* * *

Ch. 7. Surrogate Brothers Stick Together

Lily woke up the following morning and looked around. She tried to get up but found she couldn't. Looking down, she saw a pair if arms wrapped around her waist. She turned to find the owner of the arms was James. While trying to figure out a way to escape from them, she saw the letter and the envelope on the table and the entire night before came flooding back.

She gave up the fight to free herself. James needn't be awakened and be reminded of the previous night so soon. She laid her head back down on his chest and slowly drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

James woke up, the smell of his favorite thing filling his mind. He looked down. The redhead he loved was fast asleep in his arms. He remembered the night before and a great wave of emotion swept over him. He could feel the tears threatening to run from his eyes. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his jacket. Lily began to stir. She woke and looked at him, then at the clock in the corner. 7:30 a.m. Breakfast was starting. James needed to see Sirius to tell him what happened. He had a right to know. Sirius was the Potters' surrogate son and they were closest things he had to a real family. James could remember the day that Sirius showed up on his doorstep.

_James was sitting in his room finishing up an essay for Slughorn. The Properties of Dragon Blood and Its Uses in Potion-Making. He was just writing the last sentence as the sun was setting. Two weeks into the summer and James was already finished with his homework. They had just finished O.W.L. year and already the teachers had given them homework for 6th year._

_'They love giving us homework, don't they,' thought James, as he rolled and sealed his essay._

_He looked out on the grounds of the Potter estate, watching the shadows grow longer. He was watching the pathway to the door when a figure came out of the shadows and made it's way to the door. The dark figure was dragging along the ground, as though it was injured. When it made it to the door, it collapsed on the front step. The hood fell back. There was no mistaking that matted dark brown hair. James bolted through his door and down the stairs._

_"James, dear, what's wrong?" his mother, Katherine called from the kitchen. She looked worried and walked out after him, followed by her husband, Gregory._

_James threw open the door and grabbed him and pulled him in. Sirius's head flopped back. His face was covered in scratches and there were holes in his clothes. He showed clear signs of having been in a fight. He was unconscious, so James laid him down on the carpet in the front hall. 'Remind me to tell him to lay off the sweet for a while,' thought James as his parents came running out into the hall._

_His father carried Sirius up to his room. He always came over sometime in the middle of the summer. James knew something was wrong. He never came over without warning and he most certainly never came looking like he was sent through a food processor. Sirius's family hated him for not following in his brother Regulus's foot steps and joining the Death Eaters, but they had never hurt him like this before._

_They left him alone to get some rest. The Potters went down stairs to eat their dinner. James thought the smell of food would wake up Sirius but it didn't. 'He must really be hurt. Food always gets him up and moving.' James was quiet and didn't eat much. His mother was beginning to worry._

_"James, don't worry. He'll be fine. I'll make sure of that," his mother said. His mother was an Auror along with his father, but St. Mungo's wanted her because she was very gifted and would have made one of the best Healer's they had ever seen. She wanted to become an Auror. That's actually how his parents met._

_James's father was head of the Auror department at the Ministry. When the old Minister retired, many people wanted Gregory Potter to become the next Minister of Magic but he said he would rather keep his job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement._

_James went upstairs to get some sleep, hoping that Sirius would be awake tomorrow. Tomorrow came and went and no sign of movement came from him. His parents were starting to worry, saying that if he didn't wake up soon, they were going to take him to St. Mungo's._

_Three days had gone by and Sirius still had not woken up. The next day they were going to take him to St. Mungo's. Friday came and went. On Saturday, James woke up to the sound of his father's voice telling him to get up, dressed and downstairs in ten minutes. He was down in five._

_A stretcher that was controlled by James's mother was supporting Sirius. To his surprise, Remus was waiting, talking to his father._

_"Remus, what are you doing here? I thought you were at home with your mother."_

_Remus looked up from the conversation he was caught up in to look up at his friend. "You're dad sent me a letter a few days ago, explaining what happened to Sirius and that, if I wanted, I could accompany you. I said I would be there as soon as I could. So, here I am."_

_They were going to Side-Along Apparate with James's father while his mother went with Sirius. They arrived at St. Mungo's and went up to the front desk. The witch there saw Katherine Potter and immediately stood up. They got Sirius into a room. It took a week to discover what caused him to stay like that._

_They took him back to the Potters and then proceeded to tell James and Remus what happened. He got sick of his family and when he made to leave, his father and mother began to curse him. It took a week for him to travel to his second home. James's parents said that Sirius would come and stay with them every summer after. They sort of adopted him as a second son._

James thought about the day that happened, how much they cared about Sirius when he was hurt. Yes, James needed to be the one to tell him instead of hearing about it from someone else. He knew the _Prophet _would print this story. The two most known Aurors were murdered by Lord Voldemort. It would most definitely make the front page.

He looked down to see the face of Lily Evans looking back at him. He unwrapped his arms from her waist and helped her up. He got up as well and snatched up the letter. He had to talk to Sirius and, as a second thought, Remus. James's parents, instead of keeping James away from him, were very supportive of his 'furry little problem'. He gave a small, reassuring smile to Lily who returned it. He grabbed her hand and she led him out of their common room. This was something she never would have let him do, but under the circumstances, she let him. She was thinking about the other night. He had surprised her and had torn down her defenses in one move. He not only added number 12 to the list but also had allowed her to see him in a different light. He had cried. His tears let her see that he wasn't a guy that never showed emotion, never let anyone see him lower the wall to his heart and let the strength fall away, showing the pain that he felt. That had made the flow start in her that night. She couldn't take it. She couldn't bear to see him like that. It broke her heart.

She realized that he had led her to the House common room. He gave the password and walked in. He couldn't find Sirius in the common room, so he and Lily went down to the Great Hall. He wanted to beat the post so he hurried down, pulling Lily behind him. He walked in and saw he was sitting with the others. (A/N: I am constantly going to bad mouth Peter in this 'cause he is a little snot-nosed wanker. Okay? Or I'm going to ignore him. He's here just not noticeable.)

He walked up to them and put his hand on Sirius's shoulder.

"Prongs!" he said jovially, jumping up and hugging him. When James didn't hug him back, he knew something was wrong. "Hey, what the matter?"

James looked at him. He could feel the tears threatening to cross the threshold of his eyes and pour down his cheeks. "You haven't seen the _Prophet_ yet this morning, have you?"

"No, why," asked the thoroughly confused Sirius. James held up the black envelope. Remus stood up, followed by the girls. Sirius snatched the letter out of his hand. He looked up at James, praying for a 'Gotcha!' somewhere in there. His fears were confirmed by the single tear that made its way slowly down James's cheek. Sirius crumpled to the floor, the Ministry letter falling with him. Remus grabbed the letter off the floor and ripped it out. His eyes were flying across the parchment, not wanting to believe it. The girls were staring, mouths open, eyes wide. Everyone at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables turned to see what the commotion was. People were looking at the crying Sirius on the floor, the shocked looks on the faces of Sam, Aly, and Emma, Remus sinking onto the bench, and James and Lily crying into each other's shoulders. Then they saw the black envelope on the ground.

Professor McGonagall came sweeping up between the rows, behind the sorrowful teenagers. Before she could yell at them for making a scene, Aly picked up the envelope and handed it to her. Her expression changed from harsh to shocked to sadness. She took the letter and quickly walked up to the teacher's table. She gave it to Dumbledore who took it and read it, his eyes scanning the letter. He got up and walked up to the group. They all looked up at him. Everyone's eyes were red and puffy.

"Everyone, please meet me in office now," and he walked off in the other direction. The boys-minus Peter, he had been absent from breakfast- being supported, made their way to the headmaster's office.

They were seated in the office when Dumbledore came in and sat down at his desk. He fixed his gaze upon the seven crying figures in his midst.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, I cannot even begin to express how sorry I am for your loss. I knew Gregory and Katherine. They were very dear friends of mine. I have talked to a couple of friends of theirs and mine and they have agreed that, should you find that you cannot do the job yourselves, they would get their affairs in order," he said, peering over his glasses at them. "You are quite free to go over there for a few days to do what you wish. If you do, I highly suggest you bring your friends. You can often find the comfort you need in those close to you. If you do choose to go, you need not worry about your classes. I will have it taken care of when you return."

James and Sirius looked at each other. They knew they had to do it. It could be the only way to get some feeling of closure and hopefully lessen the pain. They nodded their heads.

"Okay. If you wish, you can pack some clothes and let your friends know if they are to come as well. I need to get in contact with the Auror Dept. at the Ministry. It is not safe if you go alone." James stiffened at the mention of his father's work. They nodded and turned to leave. James turned back to face him.

"Sir, do you have any ideas of why Voldemort chose my parents?" he asked.

"James, I have my reasons but I cannot be sure. Perhaps, your parents were a force to be reckoned with. Maybe they weren't the intended targets. I do not know. However, I do know that they only wanted the best for you, for you to be able to live your life to the fullest." James nodded at walked out with the others.

A/N: Whew! That was really long for me. For all you who wanted longer chapters, hopefully this is long enough. Still sad but it will get happy again, don't worry. I really need reviews. They make me happy. The happier I am, the sooner I update! So…**PLEASE read and review**!!! Hugs all around!!


	8. Letter of Love

A/N: Okay, okay I get it. No more sadness. I'll try to bring back some more humor in this chapter and a little fluff about James parents. I know it's been a while since I've updated but I have had sooo much stuff going on at school. I've been giving up all of my study halls to finish the set for our school play so I've had to do so much and boy's tennis starts up and I am managing the team so I get to play more. (Yay me!)

Orangeokapi13: Thanks so much!

Horupeensk: Yay! Someone else who thinks Peter is a little snot-nosed wanker! Thank you for the compliment! I'm not a huge fan of the Lily-hates-James-guts-first stories even though a lot of them are really good, so I am very happy that you like the way they are bonding!

LadyPeaceGoldenHeart: Darn those computers! I'm just happy one of my reviewers is back!

Artemis' Hunt: OH! I must have rewritten that chapter who knows how many times until I liked it. Sadness is a pain in the but to write

RandomObsessivePsychoFangirl: It's hard for anyone to deal with the death of a loved one or those close to you. I'm glad you like it!

Marauders rox: Yay ME!

BellaDevil: Thank you sooo much!

Twilight8ec: I am totally honored by what you say. But you didn't really cry did you cause that makes me feel bad but so happy. I have no idea how that works but… Thank you!

RubyBinds: I'm glad you liked it!

AnIrishLily: I GET IT! No more sadness, check. Still, I'm glad you liked it!

Disclaimer: Never have owned, never will own.

Ch. 8. Letter of Love

* * *

The group, still without Peter- (Yes! MWAHAHAHA! No Peter! Hate him!)-were gathered in a group in Dumbledore's office. They were waiting for a signal to make sure it was safe to leave. They would be traveling by Portkey as there were 7 of them going. The boys wanted the girls to come incase they couldn't handle it and needed support.

A flash of fire appeared out of nowhere causing the girls, except Lily, to jump. A red-gold feather floated to the floor. Dumbledore stood up and grabbed a blacked kettle off of the shelf. He tapped it with his wand and mumbled under his breath. The kettle glowed blue for a moment then became its blacked self once more. They all gathered around and reached out a finger to place on it.

"The count of three, everyone. One…two…three…"

Everyone felt the normal jerk behind their navel and the office disappeared in a haze of color. Their legs hit solid ground and James looked up. His heart dropped into his stomach. His home, his childhood home, was gone. All that was left was the empty shell of a house that had once been called home. The love that had once filled the house and made it seem so warm and inviting had disappeared. The looks on Sirius and Remus's faces showed that they shared the same feelings. A hand appeared on James's shoulder. He looked for the owner and didn't have to look far. His eyes met Lily's and he knew she would be there for him.

He, Sirius, and Remus led the way into the house. The door was hanging off the hinges, the shutters were missing, windows were broken, all in all, it did not look like a place you wanted to go into. Aurors were stationed at every entrance and scattered about the premises. Many of them not or showed sympathy toward James as he passed. He appeared not to notice.

The inside of the house wasn't exactly better. It was worse. Blood was splattered across the walls and smeared along the floor. Furniture was knocked over, pillows were leaking stuffing, and there were large burn marks and holes in the walls, no doubt from the spells fired.

Overturned chairs strewn about, shattered glasses and plates littered the floor, and the remains of a dinner left uneaten was the sight seen when the group saw when they entered the kitchen.

They made their way precariously up the stairs, as half of them were gone. James stopped at the second door on the right. It had remained untouched. He reached for the handle and turned it slowly. The door swung open. His room was the same as the day he left it. Except for one thing. The little note sitting on his pillow was a new addition. He scooped it up and sat down on his bed. The others followed, or, at least, tried to follow. The others wouldn't come through the door.

"Guys, you can come in my room. I'm not going to stop you," said James warily as he plopped back down on the bed.

Lily spoke up for everyone. "James, we…" she hesitated, "can't. It's physically not possible for us to walk through the door." She put her hand up to the doorway and attempted to push it through but stopped.

James looked at her curiously, as if she was joking with him. He got up and stuck his hand through the door. He felt it. He obviously hadn't felt it the first time but he felt it now. There was a strange feeling in his wrist, like there were hundreds of tiny pins being stuck in his wrist. He grabbed Lily's wrist. She gasped. He slowly pulled her through and as she passed through, she winced. She finally made it into the room. The spell that had been cast over the door had been lifted, as the others were now able to make their way into the room.

James sat down on the bed, Lily following, sitting on his right, Sirius on his left. His name had hurriedly been scrawled onto the front. He opened it and turned it upside-down. A note and key fell out into his open hand. He handed the key to Lily and began to read the letter. It said…

James 

_We don't have much time. Our time here with you is almost spent. The key that is now in your possession is to a box that is hidden in the one place that we knew would be the safest. It is on the shelf in your closet. The lid bears the same symbol as the key. In there are some things that we want you to have and share with your family._

_James, we want you to know that we love you very much, more than you could ever know even though we tried our best to express as much of it as we could. We tried to give you everything that you might need and more. We love you and no matter what hardships come your way, however many obstacles befall you, we sincerely hope you live you're your life to the absolute best and don't let anything pass you by. We love you, James, always and forever. We'll never be gone far as long as you hold in your heart, as we know you will._

Love, Mum and Dad 

Lily looked at James face and saw that he was smiling.

"I remember that box," and he got up, walked over to his closet, and pulled out the box. "Lily, please."

Lily got up and knelt next to him on the floor. She slid the key into the lock and turned it. A faint click was heard and James lifted the lid. He let out a small bit of laughter and picked up what was inside, a small smile crossing his face. Lily and the others, realizing what he was hold smiled as well.

* * *

A/N: Well, it's a smidge happier than the last ones, AnIrishLily, this better make you happy.

I know it's really short but I am sooo tired. I have had very little sleep and my brain is dead even though I have to go to school tomorrow. I'm really sorry 'bout the short chapter but I feel like I'm going to keel over at the computer.

**Oh, I am going to take a poll, place your vote once in each of the following categories: **

**Peter Pettigrew is a snot-nosed little wanker who should be thrown bodily from any room he enters**

**Peter Pettigrew should be shown sympathy (Blagh!)**

**I don't know what to think of him**

**Read and Review! Huggies to all who review!**


	9. Poll results, NOT a chapter!

So, I have the results from the poll and I'm going to do review thank you's now instead of the beginning of the next chapter. Save room for more story. Also, I've never done a cliffhanger before and it wasn't even meant to be a cliffy, but cool!

**First, thank you to all my reviewers…**

**Ron Lover6789: Wow! Thanks! I'm not _that_ mean, am I? I hope not! I am glad you like it!**

**Prongs123: Glad you like the chapter and, don't worry about saying you cried. I have had others tell me the same thing. I'll try to write longer one's but I was pooped.**

**Whitelight72: Thank yooou! **

**Marauders rox: I get what you mean. I like the way you thought about it. That's so cool. I don't think that much at school.**

**Horupeensk: Whoa! You shouldn't harbor that much hatred even though it's perfectly acceptable. I feel the same. Addiction to my story is awesome!**

**Sw67: You are the only one in that category, so BRAVO! Way to voice your opinion. Even though I disagree completely, I like the way you think. Are you an optimist, 'cause those people are so awesome.**

**Artemis' Hunt: Sorry about the cliffy, but it was totally and completely unintentional. **

**APWBDumbledore: Thanks for the support on the story!**

**Believeinmagic14: You'll have to wait and find out.**

**RubyBinds: Thank you vewy, vewy much. Like the Elmer Fudd speak? I DO!**

**Ok, RandomObssessivePsychoFangirl, I am not going to label you as ROPF 'cause your name is too long. Sorry: DING, DING, DING! We have a winner! You are correct about the spell on the room.**

**FaythG: I am sort of thinking the same about Peter and Harry. I'm sorry about the nonexistent humor, but I'm trying to make it better. Hopefully, The next chapter is better!**

**Twilight8ec: Now, I am happy that you all are crying 'cause it's for good reasons. MWAHAHAHAHA! CLIFFY! Yay me!**

**So, Are you all wondering what the results were? I bet you were even though you all probably know the outcome. **

**In third place… 'I don't know what to think of him' with absolutely no votes! (Feeble round of applause. Folks, use you imagination and think of applause.)**

**In second place… 'Peter Pettigrew should be shown sympathy (Blagh!)' with 1 vote. (Slightly louder round of applause. This goes to sw67 because her logical, awesome answer makes complete sense.)**

**AND, in first place… "PETER PETTIGREW IS A SNOT-NOSED LITTLE WANKER WHO SHOULD BE THROWN BODILY FROM ANY ROOM HE ENTERS' is the winner with 12 votes. WOOHOO! **

**Do you want to know what's in the box? Huh? Do you? I think you do… am I right? I thing I am! Should I leave the story for a loooong time, building expectation? That would be cruel, right? Well, you're going to have to wait for the next chapter! WHICH SHOULD BE VEWY, VEWY, VEWY, VEWY SOON! Promise!**


	10. We Know Where He Gets It

A/N: Sorry, it took so long but our play just finished and I haven't been home for a long time with all the parties and going out to eat. Since I did thank you notes last chapter, none this chapter, Except:

**Sw67**: I dedicate this chapter to you because I feel so bad. I hope this makes up for my stupid mistake! I'M SOOO SORRY!

Disclaimer: You know the drill, Me no owny!

And now, the chapter you've all been waiting for…

Ch. 9. We Know Where He Gets It

* * *

Letters. Photographs and letters. James dropped the handful of letter on the carpet and picked up the photos. He set those next to the letters and shifted more letters and photos. His hands hit something hard. A smaller box was inside and he lifted it up and out.

He lifted the lid and laughed again.

'What is wrong with this guy,' thought Lily. 'His parents are dead and he's laughing? What's the matter with him!'

He picked up the things inside and turned over the letter sitting on top. It said:

_James,_

_If you are reading this letter, we are no longer with you. We wanted to give you these when we passed on so you could find out about our past and hopefully it will help you in the future. We thought we should wait because if you and Sirius saw what was inside while we were alive, you two goofs would never let us live it down. It is basically the ultimate blackmail against us. We know how Sirius loves to make fun of people when he has dirt on them._

_Please share these with your friends. We understand if you don't want to, but we hope you will. We also hope you enjoy these as much as we did. We love you, James. Never forget that and hopefully these will prevent that from happening._

_As much love as we can muster, _

_Mum and Dad_

P.S. To watch these, tap them with your wand, say Inerio, place it on the wall, and tap it again. Enjoy them. We definitely did.

He grabbed the first tape, said the spell, and sat back to watch with Lily. Remus flipped off the light switch.

The screen was black then a small light appeared at the end. All of the sudden, it felt as though the room a dipped forward and the 7 teens were thrown head first in to the screen.

The colors swam and swirled until everything became still again. They were standing on the grounds Hogwarts, groups of students milling about. A group of girls were sitting around by the lake, others wandering about, and one group in particular were causing a large amount of noise. The 7 teens made their way over to the tree that the group was located under. James, Sirius, and Remus gasped. There before them lay Gregory Potter, Jonathan Lupin, Alexander Longbottom, and Arthur Turnsbury laughing and holding their sides.

"Hey Greg, Katie's looking this way," Said John pointing over to the girls sitting by the lake. A girl with blue eyes and long black hair the fell in curls along her back was looking over and chatting with two of her friends, one with wavy brown hair and hazel green eyes named Sarah and the other with sandy blonde hair that hung straight down her back and sky blue eyes named Maria, and who was also Remus's mother.

Greg ran a hand through his hair, making it look windswept and pulled a snitch out of his pocket. He let it go and started making fabulous catches, letting fly off and capturing it again, earning a thunderous round of applause and sighs from the girls watching. Alex sat to the side shaking his head.

"Greg, you know she hates it when you show off. Do you just do it to antagonize her or do you not want her to notice you?" said Alex, looking up from his book.

"Oh, I'm not worried. She'll fall for me sooner or later. Everyone falls for the Potter charm," said Greg, sparing a glance at the girls by the lake just to make she was still watching.

The visiting crowd all looked at James, noticing the familiarity between him and his father.

Sirius spoke up, "Well, now we know where he gets it." That earned a round of laughter from the girls and Remus and a smack to the back of the head from James. "Shh. Quiet you guys."

"Excellent. Our favorite subject. Hey Scott," yelled Arthur. Robbie looked up at them and put his head back down. He hitched up his bag and tried to scurry away but Greg stood in front of him. He made to turn and go another direction but was quickly surrounded by Alex, Arthur, and John.

"Where do you think you're going?" said John.

"What are you talking to me, you stupid blood traitors!" spat Scott.

"What's going on here? What do you idiot think you are doing?" said a voice behind Greg. He turned to find Katie Douglas right behind him, her wand pointed Greg's face.

"Hey, Douglas," said Greg, running a hand through his hair. Katie rolled her eyes. James grabbed Lily's hand. That one move made him realize who he was looking at. He was staring at the 17-year-old version of his mother.

"How are you doing?"

She rolled her eyes again. Greg grinned sheepishly.

"I don't need your help. You're a blood traitor like the rest of them, except your family is just a bunch of bi-"

"I'm sure you don't want to finish that sentence, Avery," said Greg, grabbing the front of his robes and pulling out his wand.

"Don't bother Potter. You're just as bad as him."

"What! I would never insult your family. I'm nothing like him or the rest of the other Slytherins," said Greg defiantly.

"Asking me out every chance you get, messing up your hair so it looks like you just finished a Quidditch match, playing with that ridiculous Snitch because you just like to show off. You're 17 years old, Potter! Grow up!" With that, she turned on her heel and walked back over to her friends by the lake. She stopped and turned around and shouted so him and everyone else in the vicinity could hear.

"When we leave in 2 weeks, I hope I never see your arrogant, pompous puss ever again!"

The scene in front of them pitched and the 7 were hurled back into James's bedroom, the look of sadness on Gregory Potter's face the last thing they saw before they landed on their butts on the floor in a heap.

Sirius hopped to his feet and pulled Sam up. Remus did the same for Emma. James and Lily were still on the floor and Aly had already picked herself up. The two on the floor realized they were still staring at each other. They saw the eyes on them and hurriedly got up.

Sirius bent over the box and pulled out the next one and set it up.

"Everyone ready? Ok, let's go," said Sirius. The room pitched forward and they flew toward another memory in a swirl of color.

* * *

A/N: So, do you guys like where I'm going with this? I wanted to show where James got his arrogance. I know I put that his parents met at the Ministry but I meant where they fell for each other, FYI. Also, please tell me if you like this because if you don't I'm going to drop it and skip forward to later.

**Sw67**: Just to say how sorry I am, if you want to leave your name or a favorite name, I'll put it in the story. I am sooo sorry for my stupid lapse in judgment.

All, please review! I am begging for reviews. Hugs to all who review!


	11. The Second Visit

A/N: I haven't put any surprises in the story for a while, so if you have any ideas, they would be greatly appreciated. I know it has been a while since the last chapter but school has been so hectic. AND, one of the guys on the boys' tennis team broke my favorite racket the other day. Darn you, Webb! I'm still upset but thankful my mom didn't kill me.

Horupeensk: I will go for fluffieness in this chapter. I will try!

One-siruis-niece: You are smart. Smart people are great people! Yay you!

ROPF: We do know now where he gets it. I thought it was interesting.

Artemis' Hunt: Yup, he does get it from you-know-where. Smilies!

Bang on the head: That is actually where I got the idea. The Pensieve thing from the book. Glad you like it!

Cocokabana: Thanks much!

Sw67: WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I HAVE TO STOP WITH THE FEMININE REFERENCES! Optimists are great people. Especially when you are doing something you've never done before. I am still really sorry. I'll put the name Heather in the story. Is your name Sam, perchance?

Marauders rox: There is a bit of shock there but he'll get over it.

Prongs123: Sorry if it was too much like the book. I'm glad you liked it anyhow.

Ron Lover6789: Harry definitely got the shaft on the whole 'Potter Charm'. Poor guy. Glad it was good!

Iluvreading: Yay! It's good! I will always listen to my readers.

Disclaimer: You already know. Must I depress myself further?

Ch. 11. The Second Visit

The group landed pell-mell in a heap on the floor of what seemed to be a large office building. A second look around told them they had landed in the Auror department in the Ministry.

After the guys helped the girls up, James and Lily taking more time than everyone else, they began walking up the hallway, dodging purple Ministry airplane, (even though the planes couldn't have touched them anyway), and peered into the cubicles as they passed. A heated conversation swept over them as they neared an office in the middle of the hallway. James looked in and stopped. A man with messy black hair and wire-rimmed glasses was arguing with another man who was missing an eye. The group recognized Mad-Eye Moody in an instant. He had come to talk to them once in their 5th year and he was scheduled to talk again in a few months in their DADA class.

The two men were leaning over the desk and scribbling things down on a piece of parchment. Well, one would scribble something down and the other would scratch it out. Sirius was rather enjoying himself; as he sat down to watch the spectacle before him.

"Alastor, this won't work. We can't risk sending anymore of our men out there. This group is getting too powerful. They'll wipe out our entire squad," said Gregory Potter as he threw the quill down and turned away. He turned back, took off his glasses, and massaged his temples. "Are you ready to risk everyone's lives for a possibility to stop them? They know Dark Magic, far beyond our own known spells. We can't stop them."

"Greg, we have to. He's definitely the one behind the disappearances and we have to try," said Mad-Eye. "It's our only choice."

"Our only choice?! We have other options! Yet, you insist that our only choice is to send everyone out and watch them die! I can't watch my school friends leave me anymore!" Greg stood up and slammed his fists on the desk. He grabbed his things and walked out of the office, leaving a stunned Moody in his wake. He walked into the hallway and bumped into a woman, a woman with black hair and blue eyes. She dropped her stack of papers and he dropped his.

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry about this. I suppose I need to watch where I'm going when I walk out of an office."

"Oh, don't worry about it," she said. "We could hear you and Alastor yelling down the hallway. What happened in there?" She reached over and took the papers from him. They both looked up and their eyes met.

Sam, Emma, Lily, and Aly all "awww"ed at this and the three boys rolled their eyes. Sirius even added a gagging motion, earning a round of slaps emanating from the others. They turned back to watch the scene unfold.

In the second they took to slap Sirius, the connection was broken and the two had regained their business-like manner.

Katherine turned and began walking down the way. Greg looked down and noticed a file that wasn't his. He must have grabbed one of hers by mistake. He made sure he had all of it and that he didn't have any others before he called her.

"Katherine! Katherine! Katie!" she stopped abruptly and turned around. He ran and caught up to her, her face expressionless.

"No one except my close friends call me that. Other than that, I haven't been called 'Katie' since Hogwarts," she said as she took her things from him.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No, no, don't apologize. It's just…I forgot it. After all, it was sooo long ago," she said with a small smile.

"Katie, It was three years ago."

"I know," and with that she turned and walked off.

The floor tossed and they seven teens were back on James's carpet.

"As the scene develops before us, I propose we take a short intermission before we resume play," said Sirius acting like a commentator during a Quidditch match.

"As much as I hate to say this, I think Sirius is right. We haven't eaten in a while because of all that has happened," said Remus, "and I am a little hungry as well."

"Wait, Moony. Did you just say I'm right?"

"Yup. Wow. I can't believe I just used the words 'Sirius' and 'is right' in a sentence before."

"Oh, shut up, Moony. You've just failed to recognize my massive cranial capacity."

"What? You mean your brain is actually **bigger** than a pea?" commented Lily. Everyone started laughing. Sirius put on the pout and everyone only laughed harder.

"Come on, let's go find some food," said Remus and he hooked arms with Sirius and frog-marched him from the room. The girls, minus Lily, followed them, leaving the redhead and her adoring fan club behind.

He was kneeling on the floor in front of the box, examining the remaining screens. Lily slid off the bed and knelt next to him. He turned to face her.

"Lily, this may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me. I want you to know that having you here is making this a lot easier for me. Lily, I lo-"

"Your favorite Gryfindor has arrived. So let's fire up another one of those and watch, eh?"

James inwardly groaned at his friend's horrible sense of timing. 'I was finally going to tell her how I really feel and furball over there had to mess it up. I hate you Sirius.'

Lily had already prepped the next screen and once everyone was situated they were off into another memory.

A/N: Okey-dokey, I am sooo sorry about the wait but I have been going nonstop with theatre and tennis and I have been tired. If you want certain things to pop up in the story, if you write them in a review, I may consider put some ideas in 'cause I am running short and writer's block is starting to creep up on me. PLEASE REVIEW! I really want more reviews and any kinds are welcome, EXCEPT flamers. Constructive is good. Flamers are bad. Love ya!


	12. A Place of True Magic

A/N: Alright. I know I haven't written in probably over a year, but for any of you who have read this story before and have been angry with me for not posting anything, I dedicate this to you. And for those of you just now joining us, thank you for giving this fic a try. Now, onto the story.

Disclaimer: There is only one person who owns this…and it's not me.

Ch. 12. A Place of True Magic

This time they braced themselves for the landing and managed to land on their feet and stay there. They looked around and James was able to locate their position within seconds. They were in his favorite restaurant, Café Le Monte, a prominent French restaurant in the heart of London. It was James' favorite place to eat and some very exciting things, he knew, had happened here.

They approached a young couple sitting across from each other in a booth, the man wearing a nice suit and an attempt to flatten his, the woman in a beautiful black dress and her hair falling down her back in soft curls. James' parents.

"So, Greg, you haven't mentioned the reason for this outing yet," said Katherine, with an air of suspicion. "Are you keeping something from me, 'cause if you are, this will be the first secret you've kept from me in the 2 years we've been together."

"Oh, don't worry," said Greg, his hand slipping into the pocket of his trousers. "You'll find out soon enough."

James was replaying the story in his mind, a story he had heard so many times when he was little. He knew what had happened this night and what was coming up. At this moment, he felt happier for the first time in hours.

A waitress stepped beside the table to deliver the food. Sirius, even though he couldn't taste the food, could still smell it and his mouth dropped open at the delicious smell wafting towards him. He started drifting away back toward the kitchen but Remus grabbed him by the collar and held him there.

Katherine got up for a moment and said she would be right back. Greg knew he would only have a few minutes to get ready. Even though he had fought countless Dark wizards before, this was, quite possibly, the most terrifying thing he had ever done in his life.

Their waitress brought out the bottle of champagne and poured a couple glasses for them. Greg was barely aware of what was going on. All he was concerned about was the small object currently taking refuge in his pocket.

James was watching this unfold and a smile was playing on his lips. It went unnoticed by the others.

Greg saw Katherine emerge from the ladies' room. She turned to look in the mirror and he made his decision. It made a soft plunk as it floated and hit the bottom of the glass. She returned and took her seat across him.

"Are you okay? You look flustered, nervous."

She pierced him with a deep, penetrating gaze. He was an Auror but she was the only person who could make him falter. He tried maintain a normal look and was failing miserably. James noticed and laughed. He remembered his mother doing that to him when he was trying to keep something hidden from her.

"Let's just finish our drinks and head out, shall we? To us…and to our possible future together."

Her glass was an inch from her mouth when she looked at him, puzzled by what she just heard.

"What do you mean, '…Our possible future together'?"

He looked into her eyes and said, "Look into the glass."

Her eyes slid down and she peered into the bottom of the glass. A diamond ring glittered on the bottom. Greg reached over, took her glass and a fork, and picked it up off the bottom. He slid out of the seat and onto one knee on the floor. The café was silent. His question was inaudible as the girls realized what he was doing and began squealing with excitement. They knew her answer because the next thing they saw was Katherine jumping into his arms nodding her head frantically.

The scene was slowly slipping away and they found themselves back in the room.

Remus spoke up, "Well, this has been fun, but why don't we take a break and stretch our legs for a bit before we resume?"

A murmured agreement was heard. Remus and Sirius led the way, the girls trailing behind, once again, leaving James and Lily quite alone.

The raging battle began…

'I need to tell her. She needs to know.'

'NO! If you tell her, she may be scared of that and she'll hate you forever.'

'Shut up, I have to do this…'

"I have to do this," he murmured quietly to himself. He looked at Lily and led her to his bed. He locked the door and sat down next to her.

"Lily, you have no idea how much this means to be, you being here. It makes it a lot easier."

Lily didn't know what to say. She felt a great wave of affection rush toward him and a new feeling she had never associated with James, but she liked it. He moved closer.

"This probably isn't what you wanted to hear but I have to tell you. Actually, I've wanted to tell you for the longest time. I just didn't know how."

This strange feeling in her kept growing and she was starting to realize what she was feeling.

"James, I-"

"No, please, Lily, just let me do this."

A/N: Anyone want to take a guess at what he does? Please review and let me know how its going after the long absence.


	13. Silence Disturbed

A/N: So, did anyone have an idea of what was going to happen at the restaurant? Are you curious about finding out what happens between Lily and James? Well, I guess there's only one way to find out.

Disclaimer: You know it already.

Ch. 13. Silence Disturbed

"_James, I-"_

"_No, please, Lily, just let me do this."_

James opened his mouth to speak, speak the words that had been burning inside him ever since he saw her, but they stopped in his throat as a horrifying scream pierced the night. It came from downstairs. They bolted to the door and flung it open. More screams rang out through the house and a cry came floating up to them.

"James, Lily, we have to get out of here, now!" came Sirius's voice. He appeared at the bottom of the stair, looking disheveled. "The Death Eaters are here!"

James grabbed Lily's hand and they sprinted from the room. An explosion came from outside and Lily stopped. She pulled her hand free from him and ran back into his bedroom. James ran after her. He saw her on the floor shoving the photos, letters, and screens back in the box and lock it. She grabbed his hand and they tore down the stairs. An even louder bang sounded behind them and they were thrown head first down the stairs, Lily landing on James. They saw Sirius and Remus beckoning them from the doorway the girls clutching them in fright. They stood up and ran into the room and the whole house shook violently.

A group of Aurors followed them into the room and locked the door behind them.

"Okay, you all," said Mad-Eye Moody, "we're going to get you out of here and back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore has been notified and is waiting for you in his office. Should anything go wrong as we try to get you out, drop this." He pushed a small bag into James's hands. "It will send a signal to Dumbledore and the back-up Auror squad will be here within seconds. You will be Apparating directly into Dumbledore's study. He has lifted the enchantment there only."

He looked at them all and beckoned them to the opposite wall. He tapped the wall twice and drew a circle in the air with his wand. A thin gold outline appeared on the wall and the section melted away revealing the backyard.

Moody led the way out of the house and the bangs were almost unbearable. Swooping overhead made Lily look up. Aurors and Death Eaters were flying above them, spells flying in every direction. Two spells collided and sped toward the ground where they were standing. They dived out of the way and the spell hit the ground.

"EVERYONE, GET UP AND GET READY!" called Moody. James grabbed Lily and pulled her into a standing position. "ON THE COUNT OF THREE! ONE, TWO, THR-"

Lily screamed. One of the Death Eaters swooped down and grabbed her. James whipped out his wand and took aim.

"STUPFEY!"

The Death Eater swerved but lost his balance and dropped her. James ran and caught her before she hit the ground. Moody's voice reached them.

"NOW!"

Without hesitation, James turned on the spot, Lily still in his arms, concentrating with all his might on Dumbledore's office. The feeling of being sucked through a pipe overcame him and his feet landed hard on the floor the office.

The others landed simultaneously and collapsed to the floor with relief. Lily dropped out of James's arms and flung her arms around his neck. She mumbled something into his shoulder but he couldn't hear her. He pulled her head back to hear what she said. She hiccupped slightly as she said it.

"J-James, I'm s-sorry. I forgot the b-box there. I f-figured that it w-would mean a lot t-to you and I f-forgot it."

"Hey, it's alright. Don't worry about. All I care about is that we all made it out of there alive. And, I have the box."

From beneath his jacket emerged the box of memories. Lily looked relieved. They turned to see their friends start to pick themselves off of the floor and ran over to help. When they were up and the girls were seated in chairs, Prof. Dumbledore walked in and seated himself behind his desk and peered quietly at them over the tips of his long fingers. Everyone had tear streaks down their faces and were white as ghosts.

"I am very relieved that you all arrived back safely and, unexpectedly early. Miss Evans, I heard about the close call you had out there. Are you all right? Would you like to be taken to the Hospital Wing?"

"No, Professor," said Lily. "Actually, I would like to know if anyone was hurt or-or-"

"No, no one on our side was killed. Several Aurors are currently being treated at St. Mungo's."

"When you say, 'No one on our side was killed,' do you mean that-"

"Yes. Two Death Eaters were killed and three are being taken to Azkaban." The teens shuddered. The thought of the wizard prison and the dementors did not make them feel any better. "When we have finished here, I would like all of you to go down to the Hospital Wing to be treated by Madam Pomfrey, especially you, Miss Evans."

Lily was still shaking. James put a comforting arm around her and pulled her close. She was still thinking about the Death Eater and what might have happened if he hadn't let her go.

"I was just at the house and, James, I am sincerely sorry to tell you this, but the house has been destroyed in the battle." Dumbledore continued, "Several of you close family friends are there now, looking for anything that might have survived."

His face became solemn and James knew the answer to the question that had been burning inside him.

"James, your parents' bodies have not been found. I believe Lord Voldemort has taken them with him and-"

"And he plans to add them to his army of dead bodies, using them to torment and kill innocent lives," said James through clenched teeth. He was shaking, not out of fear but out of hatred and revulsion toward the man who had just mutilated his life. He wanted revenge and he wanted it now. Dumbledore seemed to sense this.

"James, there is nothing you can do…yet." James looked slightly taken aback by this but listened intently. "I am planning something but it has a long way to go. Soon, I will need assistance and I am hoping you all will be up to the job. That is all I will say for the time being and now I would like you all to go down to the Hospital Wing."

They got up and filed out. When the door closed behind them, Lily stopped James on the top of the stairs.

"James, I am so sorry about what happened. If there is anything I can for you, tell me."

James looked at her and used what little energy he had left and smiled. "Lily, please stop apologizing. You have done so much for me already. Going with me to my house, watching those screens, what happened to you tonight. When you ran back for the box, I was so happy that you wanted me to remember."

"I wanted you to remember and never forget. Never forget your past and all the good things about it."

James cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned in closer. "Thank you." His face was inches from hers.

"PRONGS! LILYFLOWER! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Sirius's obnoxious voice rang up the stairs.

James's hand slipped off her face as she turned and walked down the stairs.

'Note to self: Kill Sirius at first opportunity.' James grumbled, ruffled his hair in frustration, and stormed down the stairs after her.

A/N: Pretty sure this is the longest chapter. I tried to add a bit of humor at the end to lighten the mood a bit because this is supposed to be a humorous story. Let me know how I'm doing and I will be very excited. Please read and review!


	14. Note From the Author

Note from the Author

I want to thank all of my fabulous reviewers and say I am about to die laughing because they are so funny and I love them.

I want you all to review and give me tips, plots, story lines, names, fights loves, hates, or anything you think could make the story better in anyway.

The more you review, the more incentive I have to keep writing.

By the way, in case you were following my story and have forgotten the earlier bits, I'll try to give you a brief summary of each chapter.

Lily and James become the heads and Lily begins a list of everything James does that he has never done before, thinking he has changed.

Lily starts thinking about James and the good things about him and her feelings.

Lily gets confused and tries to think about things and confronts James about his odd behavior.

James kisses Lily on the cheek and they secretly decide not to tell their friends which turns out to be harder than they thought.

Lily thinks about her sister's upcoming wedding and has an enjoyable breakfast with her friends and, can you believe it, Marauders. Sirius has a disgusting moment and Remus gets back at him for it.

Everyone is having fun and drinking. Lily and James go back to the head's room and a letter arrives telling the death of James's parents.

James knows he needs to tell Sirius and remembers the night Sirius escaped from his home. He gets to the Great Hall and tells all of their friends. They go to see Prof. Dumbledore and make plans to go to the house to sort out things.

They all get to the house and the place is an absolute wreck. They go to James's room and find a letter written right before his parents were killed. They find a box in James closet.

They find another letter and a bunch of photos and letters and a smaller box containing screens that are actually memories. The first memory is of his parents at school and are very similar to the way James and Lily used to be.

They go to the second memory and it's of his parents re-meeting at the Ministry. They get left alone and James is about to say something really important to Lily when Sirius interrupts them.

You all should know what happens next. Much love to my reviewers and hope to hear more from you. Your reviews are amazing and they make me very happy to read them. Keep 'em coming!!!

- Truth in the Moon


	15. Finally

A/N: Hello my readers. It has been such a long time since I have written but I have been unbelievably busy with everything that I can't go into it all considering it would write its own story.

To my amazing readers, I am so very sorry to not have written in such a long time. I hope you all can forgive me and will start reading my story again. If you have forgotten what was going on, the previous chapter is a recap of everything that has happened so far in the story.

Please forgive my long absence and I hope you enjoy the new chapter! )

Disclaimer: Do we still need to go through this every time? It just depresses me.

Ch 15. Finally

* * *

James marched down the stairs after Lily. Sirius was there at the bottom, waiting for him. Lily smiled up at him, so Sirius took it upon himself to grab her by the crook of the elbow link arms, and then do the same with James. He swung them around and marched them down the stairs. 

They went down to the kitchens to get some food and relax. They figured they deserved it after all they went through last night. It felt like a year ago and it all seemed like a blur now. James continued to push it from his mind. He kept imagining what would have happened if Lily, his Lily, hadn't been dropped. He still shuddered at the thought. Remus, Frank, and the girls showed up right after Lily, James, and Sirius arrived.

All at once, swarms of house elves came running out of nowhere carrying heavily laden trays of food. Sirius's mouth dropped and began watering at the sight of all of it. Yet again, thinking with his stomach, not his head. Well, he never thinks with his head. He's usually thinking with something a little farther south, (if you get my drift). Anyway, he already had 2 heaping platefuls before the elves had even set the trays down.

"Heaven, I swear, this is what it looks like," said Sirius and said no more. The next time he looked up, he was reminiscent of a chipmunk.

Lily giggled and caught James's eye.

"Um, I'm going to step out," James said as he got up from the table, "need some air, do a little thinking."

They watched him walk slowly out of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. A few minutes passed and Lily got up from the table as well.

"James has been gone for a while, so I'm going to go look for him. Be back in a few minutes," Lily said and left as well. She wasn't familiar with James's haunts around Hogwarts so she figured she would start with the Quidditch pitch.

* * *

James was trying to get a stone to skip across the surface of the lake. He picked up a small stone and threw it, spinning it a little. It hopped 4 times and sank beneath the water's rippling glossy surface. 

He plopped to the ground and ran a hand through his already messy hair. Too many things were going through his head so he couldn't focus. Lily's face kept breaking through it all. He finally succumbed to his thoughts and fell back against the dewy grass and let his eyes close.

His eyes popped open and he sat up in the grass. He set his mind and stood. He turned to the castle and set off at a steady pace to the Common Room.

* * *

Lily couldn't come up with anymore places to look so she gave up and decided to go to the Common Room to talk with the girls then head to her own room. She began the long, tedious, climb up the stairs. 

She entered through the portrait and immediately saw the girls and guys (minus James,) sitting in front of the fireplace. She made a B-line for them and plopped between Aly and the arm. She rested her head on the back and closed her eyes. She was still exhausted from the ordeal.

"Hey, Lil, are you sure you're all right? Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing, just in case," said Emma, sitting up and peering into her face.

"I'm fine. I'm just sore and a little tired. I'll be alright. I promise," said Lily and sat up.

"Well, Sirius, Frank, and I are a little tired from the excitement, for lack of a better term, so we're going to go get ready for bed and wait for James to show up," said Remus, standing up and stretching. "'Night, all."

"Hey, why don't we go up and hang out for a little while. We'll probably be more comfortable up there," said Emma. "Hey, guys, wait up. We'll walk with you."

Sirius, Frank, and Remus turned around and stopped as the girls attempted to pick themselves up off the ground and cushions. This was followed by much stretching and falling back down. The boys eventually pitied them and went over to pick them up off the ground. Then they made for the stairs.

"Why can't we have elevators instead of stairs," whined Lily as they stopped and looked up the winding staircase.

"Huh?"

She got about half a dozen confused looks. She totally forgot that most of them didn't know what an elevator is.

"An elevator," began Lily, "is a little box attacked to a wire and is pulled up and down. All you do is stand in it and it goes for you." No matter how tired she was she was never too tired to impart some knowledge for those who need it.

"Yeah, I sure wish we had a lelevator," said Sirius. "Oh well, looks like we'll have to hoof it."

* * *

James was feeling extremely nervous. He was finally going to do it. He had never felt this way, not even a Quidditch match had made him this nervous. 

He took 4 concealed passages and ran up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. The Fat Lady swung open and he burst into the room. He saw a flash of red at the bottom of the stairs. This was his chance and he didn't care who saw him.

"Lily, wait."

* * *

A/N: There you go! What did you think for not writing for a while? I better all of you are really pissed off at me. You thought I was going to write that something major happened, didn't you? You think I'm evil don't you? Well, that's just rude!! I'm not mean! In fact, just to show you how nice I am, keep reading below this and **then **tell me I'm mean.

* * *

This was his chance and he didn't care who saw him. 

"Lily, wait."

She turned to look at him.

"Yes, James?"

"I love you."

"Dude," a sixth year had just come down the stairs and was standing between James and Lily, "thanks but I don't think you're my type."

James crossed the room in 4 strides and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you," he whispered and kissed her.

* * *

A/N: Now do you think I'm mean? I finally did it, and it only took me 15 chapters. As you can see I'm not one to rush things. Please review and I will try to update sooner, if that's even possible. 

-Truth in the Moon


	16. Figments, That's All They Are

A/N: You all are probably going to hate me. OR you might love me and think I'm ingenious. I'm hoping it's the latter option. I want to keep things interesting. And, I'm sorry for those of you that thought I rushed the end.

AND, sw67, are you ever going to let that go. I've apologized, dedicated chapters to you, and even gave a character a name that you liked. Do you like rubbing salt in an open wound? For cryin' out loud, let it go, man! And I mean the man part.

I forgot to put a disclaimer in the last chapter, so this one stands for all future chapters because it really is depressing me that I have to keep doing this to myself; crushing my hopes and dreams of owning this shin-dig. I DO NOT NOR WILL I EVEN OWN HARRY POTTER! My day is now ruined. Want to make it better? Review, 'kay?

Ch. 16. Figments, That's All They Are

* * *

RECAP-

_This was his chance and he didn't care who saw him._

_"Lily, wait."_

_She turned to look at him._

_"Yes, James?" _

_"I love you."_

_"Dude," a sixth year had just come down the stairs and was standing between James and Lily, "thanks but I don't think you're my type."_

_James crossed the room in 4 strides and wrapped his arms around her. _

_"I love you," he whispered and kissed her._

* * *

James eyes snapped open. He couldn't do it. No matter what he said, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had worked so hard to build a friendship. If he went up to her and told her he loved her, he probably would receive one of four options;

He would get laughed at right to his face, crushing his pride throwing him headfirst into a deep depression,

She would slap him across the face, crushing his pride throwing him headfirst into a deep depression,

She would whip out her wand and threaten to castrate him, calling him an arrogant jerk trying to attract attention, crushing his pride throwing him headfirst into a deep depression,

She would slap him, whip out her wand, threaten to castrate him, and, upon seeing his terror-stricken face, laugh in his face, crushing his pride throwing him headfirst into a deep depression.

Any way he looked at it, he was screwed.

'No girl should have this much control over me. I'm James Potter for goodness sake!'

_'Then why does she do this to do if she can't?'_

'I…I…I don't know…'

"I don't know."

He pulled himself up into a sitting position. He curled up his knees and rested his head in his hands.

'I'm in love with a girl that can hardly stand me.'

"Oh, the dramatic irony!"

'Whoa,' thought James, 'my mom and dad were right; I really am over dramatic.'

He laughed quietly. An image of his parents popped into his head.

_It was half way through summer break and, for some odd reason, he and Sirius were up early enough to eat breakfast. They were on their fourth stack each when a small tapping noise could be heard through the window__. A small barn owl was tapping, wanting to be let in._

_James got up and unlatched the window. The bird hopped in and dropped its letters. James gave the poor things a little bowl of water and an owl treat. It gratefully accepted the thanks and dug in before flying off again._

_James turned to pick the envelopes__. The names read James and Sirius and they were the usual Hogwarts letter, no surprise there. What WAS a surprise was the fact that James's letter was unusually fat._

_He tossed Sirius his letter and then proceeded to open his. He pulled out on piece of parchment containing his list of new school books. He put that to the side and pulled out a second piece._

_James was wondering if they had written to let him know that he was still Quidditch captain, (like he'd ever forget.) He unfolded it and something small fell into his lap. He looked at the letter and dropped it to look at what had fallen in his lap. It was with utter shock that he picked up the small, little pin that had been hidden within the folds of the letter._

_"OMIGOD! This has got to be a mistake. Dumbledore's off his rocker__!"_

_James's parents followed by Sirius ran into the room._

_"What's wrong? Son, are you ok?" His father knelt down in front of him._

_"I'm fine," said James, holding up the letter, "but Mom might not be."_

_His mother reached out her hand and took the letter from him. She turned it over and scanned it quickly. She screamed and dropped it. Still screaming, she flung herself onto her slightly scared 17 year old son and hugged him. Sirius and Gregory looked at the letter which Sirius had picked up off the floor._

_"There is no possible way. Dumbledore had to be out of his mind. Who in their right mind would make James Head Boy?"_

_"Hey! Ease up."_

_James stood up after brushing off his mother, who was now gasping for breath. He stood up on the couch and cleared his throat._

_"Who wouldn't make me Head Boy?!" James glared as Sirius raised his hand. _

_"Oh, that was a rhetorical question, I gotcha."_

_He continued. "I've got great __qualities to be a Head Boy. I'm strong, I'm loyal, __I'm__ a great person to be with. Who would love me?"_

_"Son, get down from there. You'll kill yourself. You are definitely over dramatic." His dad turned and walked back into the kitchen. His mother had regained her composure and got up, kissed James on the head, and followed her husband into the kitchen to help clean up._

_"Over dramatic? Conceited is more like it."_

He laughed as he remembered how he had launched himself at Sirius and they began to wrestle in the living room.

James was shaken back to reality, though when he saw a faint outline of pink appear on the horizon. It was morning and he hadn't realized it. They had been up all night and no one had noticed it. Well, then again, with all the action going on, would?

James was feeling his body succumb to the idea of sleep. He picked himself up off the ground and turned to face the castle.

* * *

He was almost to the common room when he remembered that he had his own personal room in the Head's dorm.

'Shit, what if Lily's in there? I can't look at her right now."

_'Well, you can't sleep outside, dumb ass.'_

'Fine, I'll go but I won't like it.'

He turned and made his way to the portrait and, after giving it the password, made his way into the room. Thankfully, Lily wasn't there. He crossed to his door and went inside. He heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

'Lily must be getting ready for bed.'

And with that, he changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

A/N: So, do you hate me? I'll only know if you REVIEW! Please! Much love to all!

-Truth in the Moon


	17. Confusion and a Sirius Surprise

A/N: Ok, how many of you hated me for the last chapter? I thought it would be funny. Sorry if you hated it. I know it was a little one-sided, only showing James's perspective, but I plan on making the next one more from Lily's POV.

Ok, sw 67, that remark was only a little playful banter. Jeez, chillax. I was only playing. You're still awesome. (It's not favoritism, it's only because I screwed up a long time ago. I love you all.)

For those of you who got confused, the whole kiss thing, from the part where James opens his eyes to the kiss, is all a dream, just to clarify for those confused.

Anyway, new chapter, same disclaimer.

Ch 17. Confusion and a "Sirius" Surprise

* * *

Lily heard a door shut. She was just stepping out of the shower. She grabbed her wand and performed a quick little drying spell, then put on a pair of clean pajamas. She turned to look out the small window in the bathroom. A faint pink-gold line was slowly crawling up the horizon. Dawn. James had been gone for a long time. 

"I wonder if he's alright. Maybe I better check on him."

She crossed to the door and jiggled the handle. The door was unlocked so she grabbed the handle and turned, opening it slowly. She poked her head around the door. She didn't see James. Instead, she saw a tan, bare, muscular back and then an unruly mess of hair as the owner stood up and threw his shirt on the bed.

The door creaked and Lily gasped. James turned and saw a beautiful yet, red-faced redhead standing in his doorway.

"Uh, Lily," said James, staring at her, "what are you doing in my room?"

Lily's brain didn't immediately register what he said. She was busy staring at him like he was at her. She had heard rumors of how he looked but never believed them. Now she knew they were all true. Well, that most were true. There were a few others she heard that only could have been seen if they were involved in a different activity, if you get my meaning.

She shook her head slightly to clear her head.

"Oh…um…I was…um…I heard your door close. You had been gone a long time from the kitchens and…um…I went to look for you and couldn't find you, so…um…I thought I'd…um…come and check up on you and see if…um…you were ok."

She spluttered the sentence and continued to stare at him. She couldn't seem to wrap her head around what she was saying. She was distracted by something. Something inside her knew it was James, but her conscience said otherwise.

_'Lily, keep your head. He's just a boy.'_

'He's not just a boy. He is a man and a very good-looking one.'

_'So what if he looks good. He's an ass.'_

'No, he may have been an ass, but now he's changed. He's a level-headed down-to-Earth young man.'

_'Whatever.'_

James turned and sat down on his bed and motioned for Lily to sit next to him. She nervously crossed the room and sat beside him.

"It was really nice of you to go look for me. I just needed some time to think though."

"I know but you were gone for quite a while."

"Well, thanks. Where did you look, just out of curiosity," asked James inclining his head toward her.

"Oh, I don't exactly remember. I just thought, 'If I were James, where would I go'," she said with a laugh. James smiled. He turned and hugged her. Lily was slightly taken aback but put her arms around him and returned it.

He released her and smiled.

"Thank you. It means a lot, especially from you."

"Hey," she said, standing up and looking at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, considering our past, that's a pretty big thing for you to do. With our previous encounters, it's just a very nice gesture."

"You're welcome. I should probably go so you can change clothes."

James smiled his usual goofy smile. "You know Lils, if you want to, you're welcome to stay and watch."

He ducked as a pillow came flying at his head. He laughed and picked it up to put back on his bed.

"You know, Potter," she said, using his last name but smiling while doing so, "some things will never change."

"No they won't Evans, no they won't."

* * *

Lily woke up and looked at her clock. It was almost 5 o' clock in the afternoon. She had wasted an entire Friday's worth of class while she was at school. She was sure that the others had missed it as well so she didn't think much of it. 

She climbed out of bed and heard the sound of running water.

"James must be in the shower."

She got dressed and wandered down the stairs. James was sitting on the couch reading a book. He looked up and saw her standing on the stair with a bewildered look on her face.

"Oh, hey Lily, looks like you're out of the shower. I'll go brush my teeth."

He got up and made his way toward the stairs.

"Lily, could you move so I can get through?"

Lily looked up at him.

"Hold on. I thought it was you in the shower. I needed to go brush my teeth and I heard running water and assumed you were in there."

"What? I thought it was you up there."

"James, I took a shower last night. Why would need another one?"

James couldn't seem to find an answer to the question and pulled out his wand.

"I'm getting to the bottom of this."

He slid around her and started running up the stairs. Lily grabbed hers and followed him up. James was at the door to the bathroom from his entrance. He motioned for Lily to come over.

"Ok, if you don't recognize who it is and I don't recognize it within 3 seconds, stun it."

Lily nodded her head in agreement and gripped her wand tightly as James turned the handle and threw the door open.

The shower curtain came back and a mop of dripping wet hair appeared.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"BLOODY HELL!"

"OMIGOD!"

Sirius's, Lily's, and James's voices rang throughout the bathroom followed by a loud "Oomph!"

"Sirius, what the hell are you DOING IN HERE?!"

The water stopped and a wet Sirius stepped out in nothing but a towel. Lily turned her face away and began to giggle.

"What's up guys? Oh, it's ok Lily. You can turn back around. I don't mind if you watch me get dressed."

Lily didn't turn around; instead she walked out of the room. "I'm not coming back in until you put some clothes on!"

She didn't see James give Sirius an angry look. Sirius smiled at him. He knew how to push his best friend's buttons. Sirius wouldn't do anything to Lily. He knew how James felt about her and he never would have done something like that. He just liked provoking him.

He put on his clothes and followed James into his room where Lily was sitting on the bed.

"Wow, James. Look, it's something you only dream of. Lily Evans is in your bed. Bow chicka wah wah."

James gave him the death glare as Lily did too. He shrank back a little and cowered under their stares. He didn't want to cross the two best students at Hogwarts. Who knows what his handsome features would look like when they were done with him. He thought he better not risk it.

"Sirius, I'm only going to ask this one more time, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!"

"Well, I thought I'd come and wake you up. Lily's bedroom door was locked from the outside so I came to James's room. I saw the door open and went to investigate. I saw that you guys had your own bathroom and decided to borrow it."

Lily looked at him and scowled. "You break into our common room, attempt to get into MY bedroom, and use our bathroom. Why I oughta…"

Lily lunged. James saw what was going to happen and made to grab her but missed. Instead, he caught hold of her wand which she threw to the side. He looked up in time to see Lily give Sirius one of the best right hooks he'd ever seen. Sirius toppled backward and Lily was standing up, breathing heavily from the amount of force she exerted on him. James stood up and gave Lily her wand back.

"Lily…"

She huffed and smoothed her hair down before turning to face him. "Yes, James?"

"That was incredible."

She smiled and left the room with an impressed James and a flatten Sirius in her wake.

'Add 13 to the list: Compliments. This might not be a bad day after all.'

* * *

A/N: And there you have it, number 17 in chapters and 13 in the list. I finally brought the list back. Are you proud of me? I think I'm on 13 but I might be wrong. Just bear with it. Please review. It makes my day. 


	18. Sweets, Treats, and Lilies

A/N: I know I haven't updated in a little bit but we just got done with our musical and I was in it so I am a little tired out. I am also suffering from a little bit of writer's block so this might be a filler chapter if I can come up with something. If you leave a review with an idea I might be able to post again tonight-(hint hint, wink wink)-so I am making this up as I go along. It might suck a little or it might suck a lot. I'm thinking the latter so bear with me. Here we go… be kind, please!!!

Disclaimer: Grr… should explain it.

Chapter 18. Sweets, Treats, and Lilies

* * *

Lily arrived at the Great Hall with dinner just about to start. She began to wonder if James and Sirius were going to make it down to dinner. She saw Aly, Emma, and Sam on the bench halfway down the table. They waved her over and she sat between them. She turned to the girls.

"Do you think that James and Sirius will---"

The words were not even all the way out of her mouth and the doors flew open to reveal James and Sirius sprinting through them.

"Have no fear, the sexiest beasts in Hogwarts are here!" yelled Sirius and threw his arms wide.

Half the girls in the school sighed and batted their eyes at them. Sirius was basking in the glory of his sex-god symbol when James cut his glory time short. He slapped him in the back of the head and pushed him towards the bench. The girls on the bench laughed at the two and slid down to make room as Peter, (git), and Remus were on the other side. James steered Sirius to them.

Lily slid down to make room for James and he crawled in beside her. He smiled and silently thanked her with his eyes. She looked and understood. They turned as Professor Dumbledore stood up to address the school.

"Everyone, before we start, I would like to let you all know that the first Hogsmead trip of the year is this weekend. We have had a busy time recently and this was very quickly planned but we figured you needed some extra time to get ready for our big surprise that will happen this year."

James and Lily shifted in their seats. They knew things hadn't gotten planned because of the busy schedule and James's parents' death so they felt a little guilty. Dumbledore continued.

"This year we will be hosting a ball at Christmas time before the break. It has been decided that this will not be an ordinary ball, but a masquerade ball. Therefore, you will all be in costume and you must wear a mask. You have some ground rules you have to follow. Once you decided what you're going to be, you must write it down and sent it to me. This will prevent you from telling anyone who you are so it will be a complete surprise. Your mask will also be charmed so you will not be able to remove it until the clock chimes midnight. Our two Heads will be planning this so if you have any ideas or other rules you would like to have, please let them know. Now, eat up."

"YES, FOOD!!!!"

Sirius dived for the plate in front of him and proceeded to stuff his face as usual. Everyone in the vicinity shot him disgusted looks and edged away.

They enjoyed dinner and lily was very excited when dessert came. Her favorite, chocolate trifle, appeared in the table. She grabbed the bowl at the same time James did.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You can have it," he said and gave the bowl to her. She looked at him and held it out.

"You know, James, I can't eat all this by myself. It's unhealthy." He smiled and took a huge helping.

"Sorry, but it's just my favorite. My mum used to make for me for my birthday. I never liked cake so this is what I always asked for."

Lily looked at him and saw he had tears in his eyes. "Oh, well, here."

She held out the bowl. He laughed and pushed the bowl back at her. "I don't want all of this, either. Take some."

She laughed and James took it upon himself to dish her up some. They smiled and went back to dinner.

* * *

Lily woke up the next morning and stretched. She was very excited to be going to Hogsmead today. She went over to the bathroom door and knocked. A muffled "Come in" came from the other side so she opened the door and went in. James was bent over the sink as he brushed his teeth. Lily's breath caught in her throat again as she realized he was shirtless, again.

He straightened up and looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and made to stand at the sink. James gave her a pat on the shoulder and left to go to his room. She breathed a sigh of relief as his door closed.

'Thank goodness that's over.'

* * *

Lily made her way down stairs after getting dressed. She was wearing a cream colored cami with a dark blue cropped jacket and dark washed jeans. She got to the bottom of the stairs when she saw James's shaggy black mane of hair. He was sitting on the sofa, apparently reading a book. She came down behind him and started reading over his shoulder. It was the book she had hidden and found him looking at a long time ago. He was a few pages into it and seemed to be enjoying himself when she cleared her throat. That noise caused him to jump in surprise.

"Oh, um, hey Lily. I was just, um," he sputtered.

"Reading, right?" she said as she fought to control her giggling.

"Yeah. Um, I was waiting for you."

"I can see that. Is there any particular reason?"

James looked at the floor and mumbled something she couldn't quite catch. (Three guesses what?) He looked up and said, half-heartedly, "Well, I was going to ask if you would go to Hogsmead with me, but-"

"I'd love to."

James stopped abruptly. His eyes were huge and his mouth hung open. Lily started to giggle again.

"Are-are you serious?"

"No," replied Lily, "Your best friend is. And yes, I would love to go to Hogsmead with you."

YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

"YYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!! YES, YES, YES, YES, YEEEESSS!!!!"

James began doing a victory dance around the room when Lily called him over.

"Don't ever do that again, James."

"Ok."

They turned and walked out the door and down to breakfast.

* * *

"There is no possible way…"

"Did you hear that…?"

"She hates him…"

"Did you know Potter and Evans are going to Hogsmead together?"

"WHAT"

Remus, Sirius, Sam, Aly, and Emma yelled all together. They heard that last group of gossipers go by and couldn't believe their ears. There was no possible way that they had heard correctly. James and Lily could not be going together. However, they knew that they had heard right when they saw the two walking in together, laughing.

They just walked in when they saw that it was time to go leave for Hogsmead. Lily and James set off for the stores. They made their first stop at Honeydukes, one of Lily's favorite places in Hogsmead. They were embraced by the sweet smell of chocolate as soon as they crossed the threshold. Lily immediately made her way over to the truffles case. She squealed with delight when she saw they had her favorites, Chocolate Rivers. (Just so you know, these are supposed to be truffles with liquid chocolate inside, my dream candy!)

James saw her look longingly at them and walked over to the saleslady.

"I would like 2 dozen of the Chocolate Rivers truffles, please."

"Absolutely," said the lady and went over to get them. Lily saw her open the case and pull out her favorites. She gave them a look of longing as she packed them up and took them away.

James appeared right behind her with the box. He tapped her shoulder and she turned. He placed the box in her hands and opened it. She smiled, closed the box, and hugged him. He took the box and they walked out of the store.

"Where to next?" asked Lily.

"Umm, actually, I want to run somewhere really quick, but can I meet you at the Three Broomsticks in, like, 2 minutes, please?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there, bye."

'Ok, flowers…flowers…'

"Hey Lily, I'm back," said James as he walked through the door and found her at one of the tables in the back. "So, have you ordered anything yet?"

"Nope, but I was just about to," said Lily as she looked around for the waitress.

"Hey, I have an idea. Let's take some butterbeer to go. I want to show you some place and it would be nicer than here."

They got up and got their drinks and James led her out the door. They walked along the street until they came to a small path leading through the woods. It looked as though it hadn't been traveled often and Lily was a little apprehensive about going. James sensed this and held out his hand.

"Lily, I have been here before. It's fine. Trust me," he said and she grasped his hand and they set off. They walked a little ways until the trees began to clear and the smell of water hit them. All of a sudden, they emerged into a small clearing bordering on a large lake. Lily gasped and James looked at her with a smile.

"Do you like it?" She nodded her head vigorously, obviously lost for words. She turned to look at him.

"It's so beautiful."

He looked out at the lake. "I know and you're the first person I've ever shown this to."

Lily looked at him. He looked so at peace. She couldn't believe that he had taken her somewhere so special and so close to him. She was truly touched and moved that he would trust her so much.

James moved away and set out and blanket. He beckoned to her to come and join him. She sat down and turned to look at him.

"Umm, Lily, I would really appreciate it if you would tell anyone about this place. I'd like to keep it a secret, between us, you know?"

"I'll never tell," said Lily and they both laughed. James pulled out the drinks and offered one to her. She accepted and took a long drink.

They sat in silence, taking in the scenery and each other company.

"Oh," said James, reaching behind him, "I forgot to give you these."

He pulled out a medium sized bouquet of lilies.

"I know it's corny, lilies for a Lily, but they always make me think of you and-"

He never finished his sentence for Lily had just reached over and flung her arms around his neck.

"Oh, James. Thank you so much. I couldn't have had a better day," she said and kissed him on the cheek.

* * *

A/N: So does this make up for my lack of updating for a while b/c it may be some time before I get another out b/c I'm so busy. I will try, though!!!

PLEASE REVIEW!!! It may give me initiative to get typing again!!!


	19. SHOPPING

A/N: Hello. We are off school for the day so it's a great day for writing, huh? I'm a little stuck right now so I am hoping this will be ok. Review and let me know. I have had a lot of people read the story but very few reviews. I want to know what you think. Even if you only write, 'Good', or 'Ok', I would like to hear from you all.

So here we go!!!

Disclaimer: Don't make me. It's just too painful. We all know it'll never happen.

Chapter 19: SHOPPING!!!

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Lily and James walked back down the small path. James was kind enough to carry all of her purchases and they kept smiling at each other. Lily couldn't have imagined a better day. It was only half past one, however, so she decided that she should look for her friends and they could meet to go shopping for the ball.

They emerged back out onto the road and she turned to face him. She waved her wand and all of the packages shrank. She relieved him of the gifts and put them in her pockets.

"James, thank you for doing all this for me. It was so nice," she said and she hugged him. He hugged her back and took in the smell of her hair. He was a little dejected when she let go.

"Hey, James, I am going to go look for the girls and do a little shopping for the ball, ok?"

"Yeah," he said, "I should probably start looking myself."

Lily looked at him and they began walking back down the lane. "So, do you have any idea what you want to get?"

James looked at her. "That's against the rules, Miss Head Girl," he said eyeing her, the usual Marauder glint in his eye. She nudged him playfully. He pushed lightly back. So, she shoved him. James wasn't expecting to be shoved or shoved as hard as he was. He was set off-balance and toppled over into the brush. Lily stopped and was doubled over laughing.

James picked himself up and saw that Lily was laughing. Oh, was she in trouble.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Lils," and he charged.

Lily looked up in time to see him start running at her. She took off down the street but knew she was no match for the Quidditch captain. He was in much better shape than she was and easily over came her. He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her over his shoulder. He ran in a victory lap before setting her down on the pavement.

"That wasn't fair and you know it," said Lily even though she was laughing. She meant to sound intimidating but it had been fun so she couldn't help but smiling.

"Actually, Lily, it was fair because you pushed me over in the brush so I was simply retaliating," said James, sounding very matter of fact.

"Come on, let's go look for our friends," she said and together they headed on down the path.

* * *

"Hey, look. It's Lily and James. Together," observed Sirius as the group of five crossed High Street. They saw the two laughing as they came off one of the little side streets.

They turned to meet up with them. The girls ran ahead, so when the boys arrived, they heard the four talking excitedly about what they wanted to do.

"Guys, we're going to catch up with you later. We are going to go…"

"SHOPPING!!!!" all of them yelled from excitement. They waved good bye to the guys and went off to look in the dress stores around Hogsmead.

"What is it with girls and shopping?" Sirius wondered aloud.

James and Remus looked at each other and shrugged. They really didn't know. I guess there are some things the male mind just doesn't comprehend.

* * *

The girls wandered around until they saw their favorite dress shop, Madam Dubonnet's Dresses for All Occasions. There were very few people in the store so they headed inside.

The store was almost empty. A few girls were wandering around here and there, so it was very easy to look at the racks of dresses. They had just started to poke around when a saleswoman came out from behind the counter.

"Hello ladies. How are you today?" said the lady. "Are you here looking for the ball at Hogwarts?"

"Actually, we are," said Emma.

"No worries, dears. I am here to help," and with that she grabbed Emma by the hand and ushered her into the back room.

The girls decided they would look until they got called so they looked through the racks a little bit. Emma came back out about 20 minutes later and ushered them all together.

"Girls, I have an idea," she said. "We should change our hair color for the dance so no one will recognize us, then at midnight it could change back and we could surprise everyone."

They all agreed and Sam was hooked by the arm and dragged into the back room. When she returned, Aly went. After another 20 minutes, it was Lily's turn. She walked behind the curtain and stood on the platform so the witch could measure her.

The lady took her measurements and stood back.

"So, dear," she said looking at Lily, "do you have an idea about what you want for the ball?"

Lily had been thinking and she had something in mind but wasn't sure how she wanted it to look.

"Well, I've been thinking about changing my hair color to a dark brown or black and I love green, so if that helps…"

But the saleswoman didn't hear her she was busy behind a screen. A few minutes later she returned with a dress, shoes, and mask. Lily saw them and knew it was perfect.

"I love it. I'll take it," said Lily and stepped down. She was about to walk out when the lady stopped her. She held out a small box.

"Here, take this as well. I've had it for so long and haven't had any use for it. It would go perfectly with your dress and looks great with your hair. It matches your eyes as well." She slipped it into the bag and pushed her out through.

He stepped behind the counter and rung everyone up. The girls were thrilled and decided to head back to the castle when something ran past. Well, more like 3 somethings. Boys, to be exact. The girls shook their heads and continued on. The boys stopped and waited. James, Sirius, and Remus joined the group and they all headed back to the castle.

* * *

A/N: Ok, that chapter kind of sucked but I got started on the ball. The next chapter may skip a little ahead so I can write the ball. I will stay a little bit before so I can write the planning sessions between Lily and James.

Review so you can give me ideas for Emma, Sam, and Aly. I already have one for Lily, another author graciously gave me a fantastic idea, but I need some help with the others. I would like dress ideas and hair color ideas. I only have so much creativity in me, people! I will give credit when I use the ideas. Much love to all!


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